HDTV and Home Theater Podcast

On this week's show we look at using a two channel powered speaker with ARC as a soundbar alternative and we look at the best 85" HDTVs you can purchase today. We also read your email and take a look at the week's news. News: Dish Network Loses 314,000 Pay TV Subs Fubo Adds 173,000 Subs and Cuts Loss in Q4 Warner to Crack Down on Max Password Sharing Later This Year Fox predicts sports venture will reach 5M in 5 years Other: Best Smart Home Gadgets To Avoid The Cloud Kanto's new active speakers - with HDMI ARC - could be a nifty soundbar alternative The new Kanto Ren are well-connected, featuring an HDMI input for hooking up to a TV as well as a USB-C input for playing files up to 24-bit/96kHz from a source player. An optical Toslink supports up to 24-bit/96kHz transmission, and there's a single RCA input alongside a 3.5mm jack. If you don't want to plug in directly, they're also kitted out with Bluetooth 5.3. Outputs, meanwhile, come courtesy of a single sub-out line and a single USB Charge. The new units are supplied with a remote control and feature a choice of two extra sound modes – vocal boost and night mode. The latter does one of two things. if a subwoofer is connected, the sub-out signal will be switched off and the low-frequencies will only be emitted from the speaker itself. If no subwoofer is connected, the Ren's bass will be reduced, presumably so as not to disturb your lower-floor neighbors when they're trying to get some kip. There's also a quarter-inch hole at the base of the units for mounting. The new units will be on sale from July, priced at $599 per pair, and are available in a choice of six colors: black, cream, white, green, brown and orange. Potential system to rival the Kento Ren for $250 less: Arylic Bluetooth aptX HD Stereo Amplifier $140 paired with RSL CG3M BOOKSHELF SPEAKER $210 for the pair total cost $350 The 5 Best 80-83-85 Inch TVs - Winter 2024 RTINGS.com We talk about large format HDTVs all the time and they range in super expensive to pretty darn cheap. But what are you getting for your money. RTINGS.com has posted their list of the 5 Best 80 - 85 inch TVs. We run them down for you on today's show. Best 80-85 Inch TV The best TV you can buy that's available in 80+ inches is the LG OLED83C3PUA ($3596). It's an excellent TV with stunning picture quality, especially in a dark room. It looks amazing in the dark thanks to its near-infinite contrast ratio that results in perfect inky blacks, with no distracting blooming or halos around bright highlights or subtitles. Combined with its high peak brightness and wide color gamut, the latest movies and shows in HDR look amazing. It's no slouch in a bright room either, as it's bright enough to fight glare, and its reflection handling is fantastic. Mixed Usage 9.0, TV Shows 8.6, Sports 8.8, Video Games 9.4, HDR Movies 9.0, HDR Gaming 9.1, PC Monitor 9.4 See full test results. Best Bright Room 80-85 Inch TV If you're rarely in a completely dark room, check out the Sony XR-85X95L ($4498) instead. It's a slightly larger TV than the LG C3 OLED, making it the best 85-inch TV you can get if you want something slightly bigger. It doesn't have the same perfect black levels as the OLED, but it has a truly incredible contrast ratio and black uniformity, leading to extremely deep blacks. Plus, it gets much brighter than the LG, so it's a better choice if you're in a very bright room, as it can overcome more glare. It also delivers brighter highlights in HDR. This, combined with its excellent color gamut, makes it an impressive choice for watching content in HDR10 or Dolby Vision HDR. Mixed Usage 8.6; TV Shows 8.3, Sports 8.4, Video Games 8.9, HDR Movies 8.8, HDR Gaming 8.9, PC Monitor 8.7 See full test results. Best Mid-Range 80-85 Inch TV If you don't want to spend an arm and a leg but still want good picture quality, then a mid-range TV like the Hisense 85U8K ($2198) is a good alternative. It's significantly cheaper than the Sony X95L or LG C3 OLED but still delivers amazing picture quality. It's just as bright as the Sony, and its contrast is almost as good due to a better overall local dimming solution. The Hisense displays a wide color gamut, has surprisingly good image processing, and supports advanced audio and video formats like our top two picks, so it's an amazing home theater TV for a lower price than the Sony or the LG. Mixed Usage 8.5; TV Shows 8.0, Sports 7.9, Video Games 8.8, HDR Movies 8.8, HDR Gaming 8.9, PC Monitor 8.5 See full test results. Best Lower Mid-Range 80-85 Inch TV If you're on a budget but want better picture quality than the budget option below, the Hisense 85U7K ($1798) is the best lower mid-range TV we've tested available in an 80 to 85-inch size. It's a great TV, with very good picture quality and a wide selection of additional features. It's basically a dimmer Hisense U8/U8K with a nearly identical feature set. It's still bright enough for a pleasant viewing experience in bright rooms. Its contrast, while wor

On this week's show we run down the top ten streaming shows of 2023 and give you ten cool automations for your home. We also read your email and take a look at the week's news. News: Amazon Denies Report Saying Freevee Is Shutting Down Sports Big Influence in Viewers' Platform Choice Get Ready for Another Netflix Price Hike This Year, Analyst Says Other: What REALLY Happens Backstage in Live Broadcasts - INSANE Adrenaline! 10 most streamed shows of 2023 According to Neilson Here are the 10 most streamed shows of 2023, according to Neilson, along with how many minutes that it's been watched last year: 10) "Supernatural": 22.8 billion minutes 9) "Heartland": 22.8 billion minutes 8) "Friends": 25 billion minutes 7) "Gilmore Girls": 25.2 billion minutes 6) "The Big Bang Theory": 27.8 billion minutes 5) "Cocomelon": 36.3 billion minutes 4) "Grey's Anatomy": 38.6 billion minutes 3) "NCIS": 39.4 billion minutes 2) "Bluey": 43.9 billion minutes 1) "Suits": 57.7 billion minutes viewed When it comes to original streaming shows, "Ted Lasso" topped the list with an impressive — but notably lesser — 16.9 billion minutes viewed. No other original streaming show cracked 15 billion minutes viewed last year. When it comes to streaming movies, Disney's 2016 hit "Moana" topped viewership minutes with 11.6 billion minutes viewed. No other streaming movie topped 10 billion minutes viewed. Combining the total viewership minutes of "Ted Lasso" and "Moana" brings you to 28.5 billion. That's less than half the total minutes viewed of "Suits," a show that ended nearly four years ago. Ten Cool Home Automations Home automation has come such a long way since the Insteon X10 systems of the 1980s and 1990s. Today there are numerous systems available and just about all of us have some form of automation that we use daily. We pulled together 10 cool automation routines that you may want to try yourself. Have your lights slowly dim just before bedtime. I was a skeptic when I saw this as an option but when I go to bed I do some reading and having the lights dim as I do is a nice way to doze off. I started out with the dimming taking 10 minutes. I liked it so much I now start it a full 30 minutes before my "official" bedtime. Set the lights to randomly flash to make it appear as if you're home when away. We all have lights that turn on automatically. This takes it to the next level. You could define a set of routines that only work when you set a "Vacation Mode" on your system. Set up different ones for each day of the week. Flash your lights when your doorbell rings. This is handy if you are out in the garage, basement, or any other room where you can't hear the doorbell. Comes in handy if you are blasting music. For bonus points you can have your wireless speakers play Men at Work's Who Can it Be Now. Create individual access codes for kids, guests, and extended family members. Then, get a phone notification when specific people arrive home. Have a certain song play out your speakers when certain people arrive. Just like walk up music for baseball. It's fun and you know who just walked in or opened the garage. Install a sensor on or inside your mailbox that alerts you when your mail has arrived/been picked up. I also set a virtual light switch that gets set to on when the sensor goes off. That way if I miss the actual notification I can see that the virtual light is on in my automation app. I clear it when I get the mail. One button press turns on all lighting for a given room, floor or entire house. Great for when you are walking into a dark house or to scare away someone who should not be there. At night, when motion is sensed, ramp lights to 15% (just enough light to see, not to be blinded). Set your door to automatically lock after a set amount of time has passed. With most smart locks, you can pick intervals between 30 seconds and one hour long. Dinner Bell. Set an automation tied to a button that plays a dinner bell through your wireless speakers that dinner is ready. Can also just send out a notification if people are outside.

On this week's show we take a brief look at a $120 wireless HDMI solution and we ask, who Needs to Buy Physical Media? We also read your emails and take a look at the news. News: Pay TV Companies, and the DOJ, Push Back on Big 'Spulu' Sports Streaming Joint Venture Roku (ROKU) shares down 16% after FQ4 earnings, Oppenheimer downgrades Comcast and Paramount Talk About Combining U.S. Streaming Services Walmart to acquire Vizio in $2.3 billion deal BMOSTE Wireless HDMI Transmitter and Receiver Small transmitter and receiver. About the size of USB Stick Dual-Band WI-FI. Long range (30m) stable connection Plug and play 1080p $120 Easily to setup but you need to provide power via the USB cable that is included. My Macbook Pro and Projector USB did not have enough power to run the device. I needed to add an external power supply to make it work. Once it was connected I immediately saw my computer screen. The picture looked good with no breakups while the laptop was in the same room. There was a lag that was noticeable and made it quirky to use the mouse. I think for gaming this is going to be a big issue. But for watching movies it's not really an issue at all. When I moved the laptop into another room that was about twenty feet away with two walls between the transmitter and receiver, the picture froze . However putting the laptop in the room directly behind the projector with one wall had no impact on the picture. If the TX and RX are in the same room you will have no issues. One wall will probably work but it will decrease the distance that you can transmit. Two walls will probably not work. If you need a wireless 1080p solution you can't beat this device on size and cost. Just keep distance and the number of walls you are going through in mind. We'll take a look at their 4K solution which is much bigger in size and costs about $50 more. Who Needs to Buy Physical Media Last week we received an email from a listener named Bob with a link to an article that discussed what "forever" means in the terms of digital content. The article pointed out that a streaming service owned by Sony was dumping libraries after April 2nd. You may not have heard about this because the streaming service is for Anime and is called Funimation. It's not like you'll be losing movies from Warner Brothers or Sony Pictures. There is a lot of talk about physical media vs digital. Which one would you rather have and use? Do you even need discs anymore? In this episode we will examine why or who would want to buy physical discs. Let's take a look at one of the biggest movies of last year and determine if you should buy the disc, buy the digital version, rent, or stream the movie. Oppenheimer - The story of American scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer and his role in the development of the atomic bomb. UHD - $23 includes Blu-Ray and Digital Code Blu-Ray - $18 include DVD and Digital Code Amazon Prime Video/AppleTV $19.99 Amazon Prime Video/AppleTV Rent $5.99 Peacock included with Service With all these options what makes the most sense? Are you going to watch it over and over in a theater that you spent thousands of dollars on and want every ounce of performance out of your system? Then by all means get the UHD Disc. That will be your best looking and sounding experience. You have a digital code as well, so if you just want to watch Oppenheimer for the tenth time without having to go through your library to find the disc and pop it into your player, you can call it up on whatever STB you use. If you just want to watch it once, even in your theater that cost thousands of dollars, rent it on Apple, Amazon, Vudu, or whatever service you use. If you decide later that you want to watch it once or twice more, you're still ahead of the game! There may be a slight perceivable degradation in quality but is it worth $12-$18 to barely notice an improvement in picture and sound? If you are sitting in a room with an awesome OLED and a high quality soundbar you may want to sign up for Peacock and stream it through the service for $12 a month. This option allows you to stream the many other shows available and then cancel if you don't find more value. Peacock allows you to stream Oppenheimer for $6 if you don't mind limited commercials. Only do this if there are other shows/movies you want to check out otherwise you can rent it for $6 on the various platforms without commercials. Disc sales have been declining for the last five years as people switch to streaming services to watch movies instead of disc purchase and rentals. There are less and less reasons for studios to manufacture discs. Those who like to have the physical copy of the disc are the vast minority. Whether you use Vudu, Amazon, or Apple, you have a huge library at your fingertips. Buy the digital copy of the movies you like to watch on repeat, rent the ones you want to watch once. Hell we'll say it, it's like having a Kaleidescape! If your hangup is quality, the difference in quality is pretty sma

On this week's show we take a look at a new report on the state of TV viewership. We also read your emails and take a look at the week's news. Finally We congratulate Eric Melton of Riverside CA on winning the CSS Audio Torii P2 Tower Speakers! News: Walmart in talks to buy Vizio for more than $2 bln TV Giants Team Up for Sports Comeback vs. Streamers Amazon's Prime Video Gets Exclusive NFL Playoff Game Next Season YouTube TV rolling out shortcut to switch between last-viewed channels on Roku Other: Prime Video cuts Dolby Vision, Atmos support from ad tier—and didn't tell subs | Ars Technica The State of TV Viewership Samba TV gathers viewership data via its proprietary Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) technology from tens of millions of opted- in Smart TVs. Samba TV's ACR is integrated at the chipset level across 24 of the top Smart TVs sold in more than 100 countries globally and captures content that crosses the TV screen, regardless of source. This results in unbiased, comprehensive viewership insights from around the world. In this report, Samba TV first-party data is supplemented with data from a nationwide survey conducted within the U.S. from 8/22/23- 8/30/23 among 2,507 adults by HarrisX. Results were weighted for age, gender, region, race/ethnicity, and income where necessary to align them with their actual proportions in the population. Monthly cable or satellite TV subscription Gen Z 39% Millennials 47% Gen X 47% Baby Boomers 57% Total TV hours watched: OTT & linear OTT Linear Q3 '22 1.40M 22B Q4 '22 1.39M 23B Q1 '23 1.45M 23B Q2 '23 1.30M 18.5B Q3 '23 1.75M 21.5B Q4 '23 1.62M 21.5B What TV Services viewers are watching less because they are watching FAST? 18% Transactional video-on-demand(TVOD) services (Pay per view or rent through Amazon or Apple ) 22% Virtual pay-TV services (IPTV) 23% Traditional broadcast/pay-TV services 32% Subscription video-on-demand(SVOD) services (Netflix Etc) 34% Not watching less of any service Subscribers to virtual multichannel TV services watch eight TV channels, on average, compared to 10 TV channels for traditional multichannel TV households, according to a recent Kagan US Consumer Insights survey. Video cord cutters and cord nevers who receive over-the-air local broadcast TV programming report watching three to four TV channels. Percentage of Cable and Satellite subscribers said they watch: ABC 62% CBS 60% NBC 60% Fox 50% ESPN 39% HIST 38% TNT 34% DISC 33% USA 33% TBS 32% Top TV Channels for IPTV subscribers ABC 45% CBS 43% NBC 40% Fox 37% ESPN 31% HBO 26% DISN 26% FX 26% Top three SVOD Services for Cable and Satellite subscribers Netflix 52% Amazon Prime Video 49% Hulu 32% Top four SVOD Services for IPTV subscribers Netflix 62% Amazon Prime Video 60% Hulu 55% Disney+ 43% Top three FAST Services for Cable and Satellite subscribers Tubi 22% Pluto TV 22% Freevee 17% Top four FAST Services for IPTV subscribers Tubi 34% Pluto TV 33% Roku Channel 32% Freevee 26% Percentage of population that streams content on mobile Gen Z 91% Millennials 88% Gen X 73% Baby Boomers 43% Silent 30% Most popular program amongst single program viewers for the second half of 2023 Netflix Quarterback S1 Disney+ Ahsoka S1 AppleTV+ Hijack S1 Prime Video Jack Ryan S4 Max And Just Like That S2 Paramount+ Special Ops Lioness S1 Hulu The Kardashians S4 45% of households that watched the top bingeable premieres of the second half of 2023 finished the season in five days. 68% of U.S. adults identify themselves as binge-watchers, while 76% of millennials do. 89 out of the 100 most watched linear programs of the second half of 2023 were related to sports. 76% of those 89 programs were NFL football. Top five second half of 2023 linear programs ABC - Monday Night Football - Kansas City Chiefs vs Philadelphia Eagles NBC - Sunday Night Football - New York Jets vs Kansas City Chiefs ABC - Monday Night Football - New York Jets vs Buffalo Bills NBC - Sunday Night Football - San Francisco 49ers vs Dallas Cowboys NBC - Sunday Night Football - Dallas Cowboys vs Philadelphia Eagles Top five second half of 2023 linear programs (excluding sports) NBC - 97th Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade CBS - 60 Minutes 11/26 - Rise; Sealand; Ancient Vines CBS - 60 Minutes 12/10 - The Resistance; Red and Green; Novak Djokovic CBS - 60 Minutes 10/29 - Vice President Harris; A Quiet Invasion; The Air We Breathe; The State of the Blues CBS - 60 Minutes 9/17 - President Zelenskyy; Into the Streets; Prime Time in Colorado Despite the resounding success that Barbie vs. Oppenheimer saw, one pre-pandemic behavior has stuck around: strong viewership once these movies hit streaming platforms. While many movies land on paid video-on-demand platforms like Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video first, the data shows that it isn't until these titles hit popular streaming platforms for free that viewers opt to watch, making rights to these movies a huge win for streamers. Average number of TV ads seen per day by the top 50% of linear TV

On this week's show we discuss how Boutique Blu-ray labels are keeping physical media alive, we give you the pros and cons of streaming vs physical media and we talk a bit about password sharing. Plus we read your emails and take a look at the week's news. News: Hulu is cracking down on password sharing, just like Disney Plus and Netflix YouTube now has more than 100 million Premium subscribers YouTube plans to create a native app for Apple Vision Pro after all Netflix to Start Billing Florida Subscribers an Additional 5.07% for State Communications Taxes Other: Lovesac - Sactionals with StealthTech Sound + Charge Boutique Blu-ray Labels Keep Physical Media Alive — and Preserve Film History in the Process The supposed demise of physical media has been well covered and long lamented, with each passing year bringing reports of yet another nail in the coffin of the once flourishing DVD and Blu-ray market. Fall 2023 brought a double whammy of bad news: Netflix shipped its final discs to customers before closing up its DVD department for good, and a month later, Best Buy announced that it would be phasing out the sale of physical media. Yet, while DVDs are no longer the massive revenue generator for studios that they were throughout the first decade of the 2000s, it has never been a better time to be a physical media enthusiast. Thanks to independent labels like Criterion, Kino Lorber, Shout! Factory, Arrow, Imprint, Indicator, and many others, every month sees the release of well over a dozen exceptional titles, often lovingly restored and with indispensable scholarly extras. Full article here… Blu-ray vs Streaming 4K Blu-ray discs run at up to 128Mbps. This is the amount of data sent to your screen every second. By contrast, streaming services tend to top out at around 17Mbps. This also means you'll get better color and blacker blacks via disc since there will be compression artifacts with streaming. As far as audio goes, Dolby Atmos is available both on disc and via streaming, but streaming services deliver it in the compressed Dolby Digital+ format while discs have the full Dolby TrueHD track. If you want DTS:X, you need to be watching on a disc. Here the difference is not as great. Compressed Dolby Digital+ is almost indistinguishable from True HD. Some players may add noise, fan noise into your environment. During loud passages this is not an issue. But if there are long periods of low volume some players can actually be distracting. Of course if you have a good setup, you AV gear will be out of sight and out of earshot. If your setup consists of a 60" or less TV with a soundbar, this may all be moot for you. You can't beat the convenience of streaming either. Buy once, stream everywhere, including at 30,000 feet! Password Sharing With an increasing number of streaming services following Netflix's and Disney+'s lead in cracking down on password sharing, one in three U.S. TV content viewers (33%) are still borrowing log-in credentials or sharing the costs of at least one streaming service they can access, according to findings from Horowitz's "State of Media, Entertainment, and Tech: Disruptions" report. Main Drivers Someone I know already had an account I can't afford it at this time I am just doing it to access a specific show/type of content for a short period of time." Concerns 23% very worried access will be blocked 26% somewhat worried access will be blocked Half of those who borrow the log-in or share the cost for Netflix, Max, Disney+, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, and Paramount+ would be willing to pay the full price for those services if they were not able to share anymore. Password Sharing By Age 18-34 54% 35-49 37% 50+ 17% Think it is unethical 18-34 13% 35-49 24% 50+ 41% Younger viewers are also more likely to believe it is OK to password share even with people who are not family members.

On this week's show we look at the Box Office Report Card for the major studios and we review the TV Winners and Losers for 2023. We also read your emails and take a look at the week's news. News: Samsung will Eliminate Standalone SmartThings Hubs In 2024 Abode Announces Ultra Long Range, Battery Powered, AI-Enabled Security Camera FAST Channels Are Capturing Viewer Attention The Nickelodeon App Has Shut Down Along With The Comedy Central, MTV, Showtime, and Paramount Network Other: What Is WiSA? What You Need to Know and How it Works - ecoustics.com What is WiSA? The wireless home theater technology fully explained | Digital Trends TCL 98" Class S5 Series LED 4K UHD Smart Google TV 98S550G - Best Buy Enter to win custom built Torii P2 Tower Speakers Entry Page Box Office Report Card: Grading Disney, Warner Bros. and Other Studios on 2023 Movies Where would the 2023 box office be without the bomb and the bombshell? Full article… TV Winners And Losers Of 2023 It's been a big year for TVs. Across the board, from OLED and QLED to mini-LED, the best TV technologies have only gotten better – but it's clear that some display types have fared better than others, and that consumer demand is continuing to shape the market in some interesting ways. Full article here…

On this week's show we review the Victrola Hi-Res Carbon Turntable that retails for $599. We also read your emails and take a look at the week's news. News: Apple's Vision Pro Won't Launch With Netflix App Plex is about to launch a store for movies and TV shows Netflix Will Be The New Home of WWE Monday Night Raw in 2025 Is Hollywood Headed for a Massive Crash? Other: Samsung expands self-repair program to include home entertainment devices CSS-Audio Torii Tower Youtube Shorts Playlist Victrola Hi-Res Carbon Turntable In an era dominated by digital music and streaming, the Victrola Hi-Res Carbon Turntable emerges as a beacon of nostalgia, offering a captivating journey back to the golden age of vinyl - but with a few modern twists. Designed for discerning audio enthusiasts and music aficionados alike, this remarkable record player promises superior performance and effortless setup, making it a highly recommended addition to any audiophile's collection. It retails for $599. Overview Product highlights: semi-automatic belt-driven turntable built-in Bluetooth with high-quality aptX HD and aptX Adaptive streaming to compatible speakers and headphones anti-resonant die-cast aluminum platter straight carbon fiber tonearm Ortofon 2M Red moving magnet cartridge on removable curved headshell included auto-stop feature (user must select "auto-stop" using button on rear of turntable) platter starts spinning when you hover the tonearm over the leading edge of a record platter stops spinning at the end of a side switchable built-in phono preamp adjustable anti-skating and counterweight speeds: 33-1/3 and 45 rpm Connections: gold plated RCA output with ground for making wired connection to an existing hi-fi system detachable power cord Performance specs: wow and flutter: 0.175% signal-to-noise ratio: 45dB Setup The Victrola Hi-Res Carbon is designed to be user-friendly, ensuring a smooth and hassle-free setup process even for those new to turntables. As soon as you open the box, before you even pull the player out, you're greeted with a clear diagram and description of the 7 steps required to get the unit to start playing records. The diagram has clear and concise instructions guiding you through each of the fairly typical steps involved in setting up a turntable. If you've done it before, you know the steps; if you've never done it, the steps are simple. It is the easiest record player we've ever set up. Depending on how you opt to install, you can be listening to vinyl in under 5 minutes. The turntable has two output options, there are RCA connectors in the back that you can run to a traditional amplifier and speakers. But it also has Bluetooth - so you can send your music to your bluetooth speakers totally wirelessly. We set it up so we could test both options. For the RCA wired connection we used a Yamaha A-S701 amplifier powering a set of Ara Derderian signature tower speakers. For Bluetooth we got our hands on a couple different pairs of AptX headphones. We didn't have any AptX wireless speakers to test with, but the headphones gave us a pretty good idea of what to expect. All told, from unboxing to savoring the first notes of your cherished records, the entire experience is streamlined and simple. Performance As simple as it is to install, where the Victrola Hi-Res Carbon truly shines is in its exceptional audio performance. We compared it with Braden's current record player, a Yamaha MusicCast VINYL 500 turntable that retails for $100 more than the Victrola at $699. The audio performance difference between the two was astonishing. We would play a song from an album on one player, then transfer the record to the other player and listen to it again. The first time we went from Yamana to Victrola, we had to double check that nobody bumped the EQ. The base was cleaner and more pronounced, everything in each song we tested just sounded better, clearer, more dynamic coming from the Vicrtola. It's rare for one piece of home audio gear to so wildly change your view of the world. Listening to records is a fun, nostalgic experience. Oftentimes you revel in and enjoy some of the static, the crackling and popping that we remember so fondly from our youth. But with records, we never really stop to ask ourselves if what we're hearing is the best that record can sound. You pull out a record, you play it, and that's it. But the Victrola has changed, at least Braden's approach, to record players - it made every record we played sound better than his Yamaha. Next step was testing Bluetooth performance. You'd be surprised how rare AptX still is in headphones, so we had to procure a few pairs to make sure we were hearing the best the Victrola could offer, and it did not disappoint. While the listening experience is vastly different between a pair of tower speakers and a pair of wireless headphones, The Victrola performed incredibly well. The music sounded clear, clean and very rich. We can imagine that paired with a set of high qual

On this week's show Ara and DJ of Brightside Home Theater Podcast rundown the best of CES 2024. Are also reads your emails and takes a look at the week's news. News: NBC Claims Streaming Crown, Angers NFL Fans Fire TV's New Feature Lets You Create AI-Generated Artwork With Help From Alexa Sling TV Freestream Adds A Free DVR Other: SONUS FABER LAUNCHES SUPREMA, ITS MOST ASPIRATIONAL LOUDSPEAKER SYSTEM YET, IN CELEBRATION OF THE BRAND'S 40TH ANNIVERSARY - HomeTheaterHifi.com He spent his life building a $1 million stereo. The real cost was unfathomable QDEL Is Real | Sharp Display Ready To Make Self-Emissive Quantum Dot Displays Xgimi shows off projector that doubles as a ceiling light, also a $3,000 IMAX-certified model | TechSpot CSS-Audio Torii Tower Youtube Shorts Playlist The Best of CES 2024 Samsung's glare-free OLED TV - Samsung has developed a Glare-Free technology that it claims will be great in both low light and brighter rooms, won't be affected by viewing angles, and won't mess with contrast or colors either. Look for this in the S95D and S90D. People who have seen this tech say "It's where light goes to die". The Best TV according to The Verge and Best Audio/Video according to Digital Trends and CNET [Best of CES 2024] TCL QM89 115-inch QLED TV - the world's largest QD Mini LED TV! With a 115" screen, the new mega-size 115QM89 truly becomes the ultimate home theater. This model includes QD Mini LED ULTIMATE with a massively high 20,000 dimming zones. It also incorporates the TCL AIPQ ULTRA Processor, as even more horsepower is needed for such high zone control to ensure huge, yet pristine images. This new 115" model includes all the features of the other QM8 models, plus a 6.2.2 Channel Speaker system for truly room filling sound. Best Audio/Video according to Digital Trends Samsung The Premiere 8K - The Premiere 8K is the world's first projector offering wireless connectivity. Removing the need for cables, this solution allows consumers to keep their living spaces neat and tidy. The ultra-short throw projector comes packed with smart features — such as picture-off premium home audio, cloud gaming, always-on voice with far-field mic and four multi-view screen splits — to extend usability and provide almost increased use cases. The projector incorporates Samsung's patented "Sound-on-Screen" technology, integrating the top speaker module and software algorithms for an immersive sound experience. Best projector according to Tech Radar (best Gadgets) Hisense 110UX TV - The 110UX incorporates over 40,000 backlight zones across a 110-inch screen. That high-output mini-LEDs produce 10,000-nit maximum brightness which is about five times brighter than the typical high end TV. Hisense says the 110UX can achieve 95% of the BT.2020 Spec. No mention on HDR support but why would they build a TV like this and not support Dolby Vision? No pricing of availability has been announced. Best Audio/Video according to Digital Trends Ballie - Introduced in 2020 Ballie is a smart home companion that welcomes users home by taking care of household tasks, displaying the day's events and sharing weather updates. It got an upgrade thai year and has added a moving projector, in case you want it to display a workout video onto your wall or project a little greeting message on your floor when you come home. Most irrationally loved product according to The Verge and Engadget [Best of CES 2024] Lockly Visage and Philips Palm Recognition Deadbolt- TechRadar (The Best smart Home Tech) Sennheiser Momentum 4 True Wireless - adding Qualcomm's new chip with Snapdragon Sound for CD-quality audio if you have a compatible phone, but they're also ready for the future of regular Bluetooth with support for Bluetooth 5.4 and LE Audio and Auracast. Best Headphones according to Tech Radar (best Gadgets) and Engadget [Best of CES 2024] LG Signature OLED T - it's only available in 77". It uses LG's wireless transmission technology so the only wire running to the television is power. A separate box that can be placed up to 30 feet away from the TV transmits source video. Future versions could go bigger or smaller depending on customer feedback. Pricing has not been set. Best in show according to The Verge and Best TV according to Tech Radar (best Gadgets) and Best Audio/Video according to Digital Trends and Engadget [Best of CES 2024] and CNET [Best of CES 2024] Samsung HW-Q990D - This soundbar features a 11.1.4-channel configuration, immersive Dolby Atmos sound and supports pass through of content in 4K 120Hz. It analyzes audio and uses AI to optimize sound for the perfect experience across a wide range of content. Best Soundbar according to Tech Radar (best Gadgets) Samsung Music Frame - According to Samsung this customizable speaker seamlessly blends into its environment by camouflaging as a modern picture frame that can display art or photography. It features built-in woofers along with intelligent audio processing for a premium audio experie

It's that time of year where the tech world descends on Las Vegas for CES. On this week's show we discuss a few announcements that we found interesting. We also read your emails and look at the week's news. News: Roku Introduces High-End 'Pro Series' Lineup of Its Self-Branded Smart TVs Netflix Released 16% Fewer Shows in 2023 Roku To Launch Pro Series TVs Sony's prototype TV backlight tech and it looks amazing Other: The BEST Streaming! | Wakanda Forever 4K UHD HDR Streaming Review CES 2024 TCL 115" Mini LED TV - For 2024, TCL introduces the world's largest QD Mini LED TV! With a 115" screen, the new mega-size 115QM89 truly becomes the ultimate home theater. This model includes QD Mini LED ULTIMATE with a massively high 20,000 dimming zones. It also incorporates the TCL AIPQ ULTRA Processor, as even more horsepower is needed for such high zone control to ensure huge, yet pristine images. This new 115" model includes all the features of the other QM8 models, plus a 6.2.2 Channel Speaker system for truly room filling sound. Full Press Release on all Mini LED TVs can be found here. Estimated Price $20K Also - TCL introduced several new product lines with NextGen TV tuners. This comes after LG said it would not include ATSC 3.0 tuners back in September due to patent concerns. TCL Q75H is a 5.1.2 Channel Dolby Atmos Sound Bar. In addition to the features of the S55H, the Q75H includes the Ray-Danz Acoustic Wave-Guide Reflectors to direct sound across the width of the room. This model also includes a Center Channel Speaker, built-in tweeters, built-in up-firing Dolby Atmos Speakers, and built-in Side Surround Speakers. TCL Q85H is a 7.1.4 Channel Dolby Atmos Sound Bar. Stepping up from the Q75H, it adds rear speakers that are wireless but also include rear up-firing Dolby Atmos Drivers. The Q85H creates a truly enveloping sound, and a sound experience that needs to be auditioned. Press Release Hisense 110UX TV - The 110UX incorporates over 40,000 backlight zones across a 110-inch screen. That high-output mini-LEDs produce 10,000-nit maximum brightness which is about five times brighter than the typical high end TV. Hisense says the 110UX can achieve 95% of the BT.2020 Spec. No mention on HDR support but why would they build a TV like this and not support Dolby Vision? No pricing of availability has been announced. Press Release LG Transparent OLED - Called OLED T, it's only available in 77". It uses LG's wireless transmission technology so the only wire running to the television is power. A separate box that can be placed up to 30 feet away from the TV transmits source video. Future versions could go bigger or smaller depending on customer feedback. Pricing has not been set. Also - LG revealed that the company's new OLED TVs for 2024 will be the first sets to feature a Dolby Vision Filmmaker Mode. Filmmaker Mode, it's a standardized picture preset for TVs that was developed by the UHD Alliance in response to filmmakers unhappy with the way their films looked on most TVs, with inaccurate color and aggressive motion "smoothing" being two of the main sticking points. Full LG CES info can be found here Philips 5000 Series Wi-Fi Palm Recognition Smart Deadbolt - With this Philips smart lock, the world's first deadbolt with palm recognition, enjoy the most secure and convenient unlocking experience. Or unlock with a key, PIN code, or the Philips Home Access app to make returning home stress-free. The Smart Lock will go on sale in the US early this year and will retail for $360. Lockly - With Visage you can unlock your property by simply approaching it, or with your Apple Home Keys or Apple Watch. Integrate with your smart home devices with Matter™ Arriving this summer. Samsung Anti Glare OLED - Samsung has developed a Glare-Free technology that it claims will be great in both low light and brighter rooms, won't be affected by viewing angles, and won't mess with contrast or colors either. Look for this in the S95D and S90D. People who have seen this tech say "It's where light goes to die". Also - Samsung launched a new "map view" for SmartThings. It shows an interactive map of your home complete with the location of any smart home devices within. Maps can be created manually or automatically with the help of a photo of an existing floor plan or with a lidar-enabled Samsung device, like the company's forthcoming Ballie robot or new JetBot robot vacuum. Maps have to be generated using the SmartThings app on a smartphone or tablet. But once that's done, they'll display on supported Samsung TVs, the screen of the Samsung Family Hub smart fridge and Samsung's M8 monitors. Nanoleaf - Nanoleaf announced the launch of several new Matter-enabled lighting options, including its first outdoor lights. The company is also debuting a new music feature using Orchestrator software for the Nanoleaf Desktop App, which will use real-time music analysis to create light shows that match with the beat. Orchestrator is able to connect direct

Happy New Year! We are excited to be back for another year. On this week's show we look at five reasons why you need a 4K Blu-ray player. We also have a backlog of emails and news. News: Warner Bros. Discovery Reportedly in Merger Talks With Paramount An update on Prime Video 2024 Box-Office To Drop A Billion Dollars? Americans are canceling their streaming subscriptions Netflix Viewing Declined By 17% in 2023 Other: I tested Blu-ray vs Netflix and Disney Plus on the same movies, and the biggest difference surprised me | TechRadar Sony won't take away your PlayStation-bought Discovery shows after all 5 reasons why you need a 4K Blu-ray player It's hard to deny that streaming has overtaken disc-based formats like Blu-ray and DVD as the main method for watching movies at home. The best streaming services like HBO Max (now just Max), Netflix, and Amazon Prime Video offer a wide selection of movies, and smaller services like The Criterion Channel, Shudder, Mubi, and many others are there to fill in any gaps for film fanatics with a wide assortment of classic, genre, and independent fare. Full article here…

We are taking the week off. Happy New Year from the HT Guys!

On this week's show, Inflation is up but Electronics have never been Cheaper! We also read your emails and the week's news. There is no show next week. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year from the HT Guys! News: Smart TV Shipments Have Fallen to a Decade Low in 2023 Say goodbye to the Netflix app on these old Sony TVs and Blu-ray players Genius Move? Amazon Reportedly in Talks to Bail Out Bankrupt Bally Sports RSNs YouTube TV adding a button shortcut to switch between last-viewed channels Other: The 100 Greatest Shows of all Time Inflation is up but Electronics have never been Cheaper! On last week's show I said that a $4600 TV would have cost $26000 in 1975. I even went to a calculator to get my result. But when I entered the amounts I had the years reversed. Instead of getting what $4600 today would be worth in 1975 I got what $4600 in 1975 would be worth today. For the record, $4600 in 1975 was worth $805. I got a couple of emails from listeners and a phone call from DJ of Brightside Home Theater telling me I was wrong. But in speaking with DJ I realized what I was trying to say and had a week to get it straight. The main point I was trying to make was that a TV of the caliber of the 77" Sony OLED ($4600) would cost more than the equivalent of $4600 in 2023. For this analysis we will consider the cost of electronics as a percentage of the median income vs today. Median income 1970 ~$8,500 1975 ~$11,500 1979 ~$16,000 2023 ~$99,000 Here are some TV of the day: Basic Bedroom TV 1970 Admiral Color TV - 12" Admiral Precision crafted K-10 Chassis $249.95. In today's dollars $1978.03. As a percentage of income 2.3% in 1970 dollars Generic Family TV 1975 Montgomery Wards Brand TV - 25" Solid State Chassis, bright super vivid picture tube, twin 4" speakers etc $499.99. In today's dollars $2853.58. As a percentage of income 4.3% in 1975 dollars. Large format Screen 1979 General Electric Widescreen 1000 75" 4:3 TV with an option for a VCR sold for $2800. The VCR Option cost $1000. In today's dollars $11842.10 and $4229.35. As a percentage of income 17.5% and 6.25% respectively in 1970 dollars. Now let's look at comparable setups today. Small Bedroom TV - I am going to say that a 43" Vizio V Series would be the equivalent of the 12" admiral. It goes for $250 or 2.5% of the median income. You can say that it's essentially the same percent of the median income. But what you get is 100 times better than the best TV of the day. You can even find something cheaper with minimal effort. Generic Family TV - I am going to say that the Best Buy Insignia line fits that niche. For this one we will go with the 65" F30 Series LED 4K UHD Smart Fire TV at $330. Which is 3.3% of the median income. It's 1% cheaper in equivalent dollars but again, you get 100 times the performance. Large format Screen For this we will use the TV that started this whole conversation, the 77" Sony OLED for $4600. That is 4.6% of today's median income which is 13% less than the 75" GE. And throw in an AppleTV instead of the VCR for $200 or less than 1% and you have a system we could only dream about in 1979! So yes things cost way more today than a couple of years ago, but at least our electronics are cheaper than ever! And just for fun, here is an ad for a Sony front projection system from 1983.

On this week's show we look at the 7 best TVs for your Holiday Shopping. We also read your emails and take a look at the week's news. News: YouTube TV looks to lessen live latency with broadcast delay feature Sorry, Stranger Things season 5 isn't likely to make its Netflix debut in 2024 Comcast Starts Doling Out Xumo Stream Box to Its Internet Customers Google TV is Getting Updated With 14 New Free Channels & A Speed Boost The 7 Best TVs For your Holiday Shopping If you are looking for an idea for a family gift for the holidays we have you covered. These are the 7 best TVs to make your holidays a little brighter. Plus these TVs will make watching the Rose Parade a spectacle of color and detail. This is comes from RTINGS.com Best Cheap TV TCL S4/S450G (50" $240 - 85" $799) - If you want something cheap that gets the job done, the TCL S4/S450G is the best widely available cheap TV we've tested. It's an okay entry-level TV, delivering a surprisingly good picture quality for a cheap TV. It's a decent choice for a dark room, with its satisfactory contrast ratio and decent black uniformity. It has good reflection handling, so even though it doesn't get very bright, it's certainly good enough for a moderately lit room. The TV supports Dolby Vision HDR, but it isn't nearly bright enough for it to matter. Full Review here… Mixed Usage 6.7, TV Shows 6.3, Sports 6.2, Video Games 7.1, HDR Movies 6.9; HDR Gaming 7.3 PC Monitor 6.6 Best Budget TV Hisense U6/U6K (55" $448 - 75" $798) - If you want to spend less, the best budget TV we've tested is the Hisense U6/U6K. It delivers surprisingly great performance for the price. The Hisense has excellent contrast, so dark scenes look amazing in a dark room, with little blooming around bright areas of the screen. It also has good peak brightness in SDR and decent reflection handling, so glare isn't an issue in a brighter room. It has an excellent color volume, making this TV very colorful overall. It's bright enough in HDR for a pleasant viewing experience, and just like the Hisense U8/U8K, it supports both HDR10+ and Dolby Vision HDR, although it doesn't support advanced DTS audio formats. Full Review here… Mixed Usage 7.4, TV Shows 6.9, Sports 7.0, Video Games 7.8, HDR Movies 7.5, HDR Gaming 8.0, PC Monitor 7.7 Best Upper Mid-Range TV LG C3 OLED (42" $896 - 83" $3996) - If you want a good home entertainment OLED but don 't want to get the expensive Sony A95L OLED, check out one of the best upper mid-range TVs we've tested, the LG C3 OLED. It's a premium TV that delivers stunning picture quality, especially in dark rooms; thanks to its near-infinite contrast ratio, there's no blooming around bright objects. It gets bright enough to fight glare even in moderately-lit rooms, and the reflection handling is incredible, but it doesn't use quantum dot technology, so colors aren't as bright as some of our other picks. The LG partly makes up for it with its versatility, as it has very good image processing, Dolby Vision HDR support with Dolby Vision gaming at 120Hz, and can passthrough advanced DTS audio formats. Like the Sony TVs, the LG supports Dolby Vision HDR, which is more widely used than Samsung's competing HDR10+. Full Review here… Mixed Usage 9.0, TV Shows 8.6, Sports 8.8, Video Games 9.4, HDR Movies 9.0, HDR Gaming 9.1, PC Monitor 9.4 Best Bright Room TV (Sony X93L/X93CL (65" $1598 - 85" $3498) - If you mainly watch TV in a bright room, a TV with an LED backlight and higher peak brightness, like the Sony X93L/X93CL, is a better choice than the top two picks on this list. It's an excellent TV with impressive picture quality and an incredible peak brightness that helps it overcome glare in a bright room. It still looks good in a dark room thanks to its high contrast ratio and Mini LED local dimming feature, but there's more distracting blooming around bright highlights and subtitles in darker scenes compared to an OLED TV. Full Review here… Mixed Usage 8.5, TV Shows 8.2, Sports 8.3, Video Games 8.8, HDR Movies 8.5, HDR Gaming 8.8, PC Monitor 8.6 Best Home Theater TV Sony A95L OLED (55" 2498 - 77" $4598) - If you're looking for the absolute best TV for a home theater setup and don't care as much about the price, check out the Sony A95L OLED. Although it's a very similar TV to the Samsung S90C OLED, it's better for home theaters thanks to its advanced video format support. Compared to Samsung's HDR10+ format, the Sony TV supports the more popular Dolby Vision HDR, so you'll enjoy the most advanced HDR experience possible from almost any source. Sony's processing does a better job following the content creator's intent, so the brightness and colors of HDR content look the way they're supposed to. It also offers better audio format support than the Samsung, including DTS:X passthrough over eARC, so you can simplify your connection to your audio-video receiver by running everything through your TV without sacrificing audio quality. Full Review here… Mixed Usage 9.2, TV Shows 8.9, S

On this week's show, now that the SAG strike is over we take a look at the network TV lineup. We also read your emails and take a look at the week's news. News: Amazon Prime Video to kick off Premier League matches in HDR Apple TV Plus and Paramount Plus reportedly discussing cheap bundle plan to take on Netflix Roku Adds Food and Home Destinations to Home Screen Disney Has Merged Hulu Into The Disney+ App Today Other: Scentsy Flameless Candles PlayStation deleting users' purchased TV shows without refunds - FlatpanelsHD Zappiti Calls It Quits | Audioholics Network Premiere Schedule Post Strike CBS Sunday, Feb. 11: "Tracker" - approximately 10 pm EST/7 PST Monday, Feb. 12: "The Neighborhood" Season 6 - 8 pm "Bob Hearts Abishola" Season 5 - 8:30 pm "NCIS" Season 21 - 9 pm "NCIS: Hawai'i" Season 3 - 10 pm Tuesday, Feb. 13: "FBI" Season 6 - 8 "FBI: Internation" Season 3 - 9 pm "FBI: Most Wanted" Season 5 - 10 pm Thursday, Feb. 15: "Young Sheldon" Season 7 - 8 pm "Ghosts" Season 3 - 8:30 pm "So Help Me Todd" Season 2 - 9 pm "Tracker" (regular time slot) - 10 pm Friday, Feb. 16: "S.W.A.T." Season 7 - 8 pm "Fire Country" Season 2 - 9 pm "Blue Bloods" Season 14 - 10 pm Sunday, Feb. 18: "The Equalizer" Season 4 - 8 pm "CSI: Vegas" Season 3 - 10 pm Wednesday, Feb. 28: "Survivor" Season 46 - 8 pm Thursday, Feb. 29: "Elsbeth" Series premiere - 10 pm Wednesday, March 13: "The Amazing Race" Season 36 - 9:30 pm NBC Most NBC series are eyeing 13-episode seasons. Saturday, Dec. 23: Extended Family (Series premiere) - 8 pm Night Court (Special holiday episode) - 8:30 pm Monday, Jan. 1 AMERICA'S GOT TALENT: FANTASY LEAGUE (Series premiere) - 8 pm Tuesday, Jan. 2 Night Court (Time period premiere) - 8 pm EXTENDED FAMILY (Time period premiere) - 8:30 pm Tuesday, Jan. 9 La Brea (Final season premiere) - 9 pm Found (First of final two episodes of season) - 10 pm Wednesday, Jan. 17 Chicago Med (Season premiere) - 8 pm Chicago Fire (Season premiere) - 9 pm Chicago P.D. (Season premiere) - 10 pm Thursday, Jan. 18 Law & Order (Season premiere) - 8 pm Law & Order: SVU (Season premiere) - 9 pm Law & Order: Organized Crime (Season premiere) - 10 pm Friday, Jan. 19 Transplant (Time period premiere) - 8 pm Monday, Jan. 29 The Irrational (First of final four episodes of season) - 10 pm Monday, FEB. 26 The Voice (Season premiere, part 1) - 8 pm DEAL OR NO DEAL ISLAND (Season premiere) - 9:30 pm Tuesday, Feb. 27 The Voice (Season premiere, part 2) - 8 pm Monday, March 4 DEAL OR NO DEAL ISLAND (Time period premiere) - 10 pm ABC Monday, January 22nd The Bachelor Season 28 - 8pm 20/20 "True Crime Edition" - 10pm Wednesday, February 7th The Conners Season 6 - 8pm Not Dead Yet Season 2 - 8:30pm Abbott Elementary Season 3 (one-hour premiere) - 9pm Judge Steve Harvey - 10pm Wednesday, February 14th Abbott Elementary (single episode) - 9pm (TBA) - 9:30pm Sunday, February 18th American Idol Season 22 - 8pm What Would You Do? - 10pm Tuesday, February 20th Will Trent Season 2 - 8pm The Rookie Season 6 - 9pm The Good Doctor Season 7 - 10pm Thursday, March 14th 9-1-1 Season 7 (ABC premiere, formerly on Fox) - 8pm Grey's Anatomy Season 20 - 9pm Station 19 Season 7 - 10pm Fox Tuesday, Jan. 2 Celebrity Name That Tune (winter premiere) - 8 pm THE FLOOR (series premiere) - 9 pm Wednesday, Jan. 3 I Can See Your Voice (season premiere) - 8 pm WE ARE FAMILY (series premiere) - 9 pm Sunday, Jan. 7 GRIMSBURG (special preview) - 8 pm Krapopolis - 8:30 pm Bob's Burgers - 9 pm The Great North (season premiere) - 9:30 pm Mondays, beginning Jan. 22 TMZ Investigates (season premiere) - 8 pm America's Most Wanted (season premiere) - 9 pm Sunday, Jan. 28 Next Level Chef (special preview) - 10 pm Thursdays, beginning Feb. 1 Next Level Chef (time slot premiere) - 8 pm Farmer Wants a Wife (season premiere) - 9 pm Sundays, beginning Feb. 18 The Simpsons - 8 pm Krapopolis - 8:30 pm The Great North (time period premiere) - 9 pm GRIMSBURG (time period premiere) - 9:30 pm Tuesdays, beginning Mar. 5 The Cleaning Lady (season premiere) - 8 pm Alert: Missing Persons Unit (season premiere) - 9 pm Wednesdays, beginning Mar. 6 The Masked Singer (season premiere) - 8 pm Animal Control (season premiere) - 9 pm Family Guy (spring premiere, new time slot) - 9:30 pm

On this week's show Ara discusses his automated Holiday lights by Nanoleaf. And John Lyman was kind enough to review the 75" Hisense U7K which he picked up for $999! We also read your emails and take a look at the week's news. News: Chromecast With Google TV 4K is On Sale At Its Lowest Price Ever In a Post Black Friday Sale Streaming Services Will Double the Number of Pricing Tiers in 2024 Cord Cutters Will Outnumber Cable TV Subscribers By The End of The Year Sonos Plans To Launch $400 AirPods Max Rival, Set-Top Box And Much More Other: Finally! A home automation hub that makes sense--Homey Pro Review Chuck Ackermn's Amazing Light Show Nanoleaf Christmas Lights Review I recently bought the Nanoleaf Smart Holliday String lights for the sale price of $90. They are now at the regular price of $100 at the Nanoleaf Website. I just installed them and have mixed feelings about them. Features: 250 Addressable LEDs | 20m 16+ Million Colors and Tunable Whites Use with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or Matter over Wi-Fi Control with Attached Controller, Nanoleaf App or through a Smart Home Ecosystem I connected the lights to my home prior to putting them up under my eaves. It was pretty straight forward and like pretty much every smart home product you buy it needed a firmware upgrade. The whole process took about ten minutes. Installation is like any other Christmas light installation right down to the frustration with the LEDs not wanting to lay flat against the eaves. Be prepared to do a lot of clamping to make your lights look like good little soldiers. The first pass was to make the lights completely hidden under the eaves. When it was complete, it looked good but not nearly bright enough to give the desired effect. Round two was to remove the lights that took forever to get perfectly installed and attach them to flush to the bottom of the eaves. Again taking time to make the wire look as uniform as possible. The lights don't look like Christmas lights and being flush should placate any HOA that has rules about leaving your Christmas Lights up all year long. Using the new configuration delivered the desired effect of being able to change how my lights look just by pressing a button. There are a lot of different scenes that people have developed so finding something you like is very easy. I may add a thin track to hide the wire but for now I am happy with the lights. There are other options out there that are far more sophisticated and can produce a dazzling light show. But those cost ten times the Nanoleaf's $100 price tag. Chuck Ackermn's Amazing Light Show Hisense U7K Review From time to time our very talented listeners share a review of a product that they have been using. Today, John Lyman was kind enough to review the 75" Hisense U7K which he picked up for $999! Features: Mini-LED - Full array local dimming Quantum Dot technology creates over a billion shades of color HDR - Dolby Vision, HDR10, HDR10+, and HLG. 144Hz Game Mode Pro 2.1.2 50W driving 5 speakers including rear 'overhead' speakers and a built-in subwoofer Hands Free Voice Control Google TV Supports HDMI 2.1, Apple Home, Apple AirPlay, Wifi 6E, Wisa, NextGenTV Four or five years ago we redid our media room to make it more usable. The downside was I lost my beloved projector and 110" screen. I originally replaced the projector with a 70" Vizio E Series after holiday pricing and our Costco rebate. I paid about $250 knowing I would be upgrading down the road. This fall I was given the green light from the financial committee that I could upgrade the TV. As much as I wanted a bigger screen, we decided that a 75" would be the best fit for the space and keep it safe from our 14-year-old son. I started doing my research on the web and came away with a short list of TVs that was made shorter when a lot of last year's models were not available. I ended up with about 8 TV's (Samsung, LG, etc.) in the under $1300 range and did a RTings shoot-out between them using their TV compare feature. This gave me three finalists. A Vizio P Series Quantum (2021 model), TCL Q7 and the Hisense U7K. The Hisense U7K came out with the best overall score 8.2 with sports and TV viewing receiving a 7.8 and movies receiving an 8.3. These are the 3 things I care most about. The TCL Q7 came in a close second. I then looked for an online review and saw great reviews about the Hisense and TCL - finding comparisons to the 2021 P Series was much harder. Basically, it became a coin toss between the TCL Q7 and Hisense U7K. Reviewers liked both TV's. I ended up picking the Hisense - why you ask - because I'm a good dad and they offered a free copy of NBA 2k24 Black Mamba edition with purchase (see above about my 14-year-old son). Once I had the TV here I found this review from Caleb at Digital Trends Hisense U7K ULED mini-LED TV review: | Digital Trends basically calling it the Best TV for most people. I have also recommended this TV to my boss who purchased the TV. Once the TV arrived it took me a

On this week's show the HT Guys take a trip down memory lane and discuss what they are thankful for. We also read your emails and take a look at the week's news. News: Bankrupt Diamond Sports Group 'Is Now Going To Shut Down' Sonos fixes its Dolby Atmos loud pop issue after years of complaints Samsung TV Plus Touts 60% Global Viewership Increase in 1 Year Cable TV and Satellite 'Risk Fading Into the Background Faster Than Anyone Expected' Other: Club Hotel - Book a Reservation! - Each room has a 40" TCL Roku TV and high speed internet. Button Worx - Remote Control Button Repair Mark's Wyze Garage Door Controller Installation Hints Close all the apps on the smartphone. Shut it down and restart it, opening only the Wyze app and home Wi-Fi software. I have an eero Wi-Fi system. I enabled "Legacy Mode" in case the camera had trouble with IPV6. Also, I disabled the 5 Ghz band for 10 minutes because the camera uses the 2.4 Ghz band. I used my eero Guest Network to set up the camera because it is far less crowded that my "regular" eero network. The QR code's 8 ½ x 11-inch size made it too big for a single panel of my garage door. I solved this by scanning the letter-size QR code, and then printing it at 60 pct. so it would fit on a single panel. This way, when the garage door opens and closes, it doesn't crease or wrinkle the QR code sticker. I had a licensed electrician connect the two wires to my garage door opener, which was installed in 2006. My reasoning was that I know nothing about electrical wiring, and if anything went wrong, the electrician could fix it. Nothing went wrong, and the electrician did the hook-up in 15 seconds. A-Lady integration involved setting up the Wyze "skill," which was easy and which the Wyze directions explained. HT Guys Reminisce about the early days of their Podcast This is the link to the winner of the HT Guys Ultimate Home Theater contest from 12 years ago. Become part of the Dolby Digital Experience

On this week's show it's time for Black Friday! We scoured the Internet to find you the best deals! We also read your emails and the week's news. News: WOW! Says More Than 13% of New Customers Are Taking YouTube TV Dish Network and Hearst Come to Retrans Agreement, End Two-Month Blackout Netflix and Prime Video Have Longest Subscription Durations Sharp is set to unveil the new Roku OLED TV with Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision IQ Other: Top 5 Smart Home Products for 2023 from CEDIA Expo - Can you afford them? Back Friday Deals Best Buy Roku TV 55" Plus Series 4K QLED TV: was $499 now $399 TCL 65" Q5 4K QLED TV: was $599 now $399 Insignia 55" F30 4K Fire TV: was $399 now $259 Samsung 50" 4K TV: was $379 now $299 LG 55" UQ70 4K TV: was $499 now $299 Roku TV 75" Plus Series 4K QLED TV: was $999 now $799 Beats Flex Wireless Earbuds: was $69 now $49 Google Nest Cam (Indoor/Wired): was $99 now $69 Arlo Essential Video Doorbell Wired: was $149 now $99 Apple - AirPods Max - Space Gray $480 was $550 Amazon Ring Video Doorbell (Satin Nickel) bundle with Echo Show 5 (3rd Gen) $65 Amazon eero Pro 6E mesh Wi-Fi System | Fast and reliable gigabit + speeds | supports blazing fast gaming | Coverage up to 6,000 sq. ft. | 3-pack, 2022 release $400 TCL 55-Inch Q6 QLED 4K Smart TV with Google (55Q650G, 2023 Model) $350 was $500 Hisense 75" U6 Mini-LED ULED 4K TV: was $1,200 now $650 LG 55" B3 OLED 4K TV: was $1,296 now $996 Denon AVR-X6700H 11.2 Ch. 140W 8K AV Receiver with HEOS® Built-in $1,999.00 Price reduced from $2,999.00 AVR-S660H 5.2 Ch. 75W 8K AV Receiver with HEOS® Built-in $379.00 Price reduced from $499.00 Denon Noise Cancelling Earbuds True Wireless In-Ear Headphones with active noise canceling $79.00 Price reduced from $159.00 Target 75" TCL 4K UHD HDR LED TV with GoogleTV $530 regularly priced $600 in store 65" LG 4K OLED Smart TV $1600 regularly priced $2000 in store 55" LG 4K UHD Smart LED TV $350 regularly priced $400 in store No name wireless in-ear headphones $15 regularly priced $20 in store Walmart Apple Airpods starting at $59 up to $200 for AirPods Pro (2nd generation) with MagSafe Case (USB‑C) 50" ONN Roku TV $148 Roku Premiere | 4K/HDR Streaming Media Player Wi-Fi® Enabled with Premium High Speed HDMI® Cable and Simple Remote $19 Sony WF-C500 Truly Wireless in-Ear Headphones $29 SAMSUNG 65" Class TU690T Crystal UHD 4K Smart Television - UN65TU690TFXZA $398 Hisense 75" Class R6 Series 4K UHD LED Roku Smart TV - 75R6030K (New) $398 Costco LG 77" Class - OLED G3 Series - 4K UHD OLED TV - Allstate 3-Year Protection Plan Bundle Included for 5 Years of Total Coverage $3500 LG 70" Class - UR8000 Series - 4K UHD LED LCD TV $500 Samsung 85" Class - CU7000D Series - 4K UHD LED LCD TV $900 Sony WH1000XM5 Wireless Noise-Canceling Over-the-Ear Headphones - Black $329 (Save $70) Hisense 50" Class - A65K Series - 4K UHD LED LCD TV $250 Sony 85" Class - X90CL Series - 4K UHD LED LCD TV - Allstate 3-Year Protection Plan Bundle Included for 5 Years of Total Coverage* $2000 SVS Prime Bookshelf Speaker $300 each speaker regularly priced $350 each Prime Tower: Premium Black Ash $500 regularly priced $600 3000 Micro: Piano Gloss Black Subwoofer $800 regularly $900 Prime Tower Surround System: Premium Black Ash 5.1 $1650 regularly priced $1950 All their deals can be found here AWOL LTV-3000 Pro Plus Free 100''-120'' ALR Screen Bundle $4000 Regular price $5400 LTV-3500 Pro Plus 100''-120'' Wall-Mount ALR Screen Bundle $6000 Regular price $7400 All their deals can be found here Monoprice Monolith by Monoprice THX-265B THX Select Certified Dolby Atmos Enabled Bookshelf Speaker (Each) $269.99 was $399.99 Monolith by Monoprice Encore B5 Bookshelf Speakers (Each) $49.99 was $149.99 Monoprice SSW-12 12in 150-Watt Powered Slim Subwoofer $134.99 was $219.99 All other deals

On this week's show Vertical Framing of content is becoming a big thing now. Will this affect how movies and TV are shot? A listener talks about how he solved his parent's remote control problem. We also read your emails, and we had a bunch of good ones. We also take a look at the week's news. News: Disney Expects to Pay Comcast at Least $8.6 Billion to Buy Out Hulu Stake NFL Sunday Ticket price on YouTube TV gets a 50% cut through the rest of the season Roku Reports Solid Growth in Q3 Walmart+ Comes With Free Paramount+, 10 Cents Off Gas, & More For Just $4.16 a Month if You Pay Annually During Its Black Friday Sale Other: Are Dodgers Games On Spectrum SportsNet+ Streaming? Disney's ESPN Challenge: Keeping a Cash Cow From Keeling Over Vertical Framing of content What is Vertical Content? Vertical content is a media type consumed vertically on the screen. It is unlike horizontal content that is seen on desktop computers and television. This content type is a natural progression that stems from the growing popularity of mobile devices. Because more people are using smartphones, which generally have a vertical orientation, they are now browsing content online using the default vertical orientation of mobile devices. Just for Social? Producers understand that some of what is being shot will end up on social media in the form of advertisements. But simply cropping a movie will not yield quality results. Instead, shots are being redone on set with social in mind. To the point where special brackets are made to accommodate flipping a camera on it's side. Right now this is limited to advertisements but what happens if they shoot entire features this way? Dual Framing Someone who's become particularly used to dealing with it is Anna Gudbrands, a London-based cinematographer whose work includes short-form pieces for Relentless, Wonderbra and Zegna's campaign with Jose Mourinho. Gudbrands' recent projects have, she says, heavily involved dual framing. "I've been doing a lot of fashion and skincare in the summer... almost every single job I do now, they want an option for 9:16 which is Instagram, but they want the hero to be 16:9. It's a situation that inevitably involves compromise. Should Studios Start Using Dual Framing in Feature Films? Remote option An Idea from a listener Rob Listening to this week's show and the discussion for a remote that's easy to use, I will mention another option. The Echo Cube, I have it set up for my parents and they love it. They can tell the TV to turn on or off, the Ring doorbell shows up in the corner if someone's at the door, and now after switching to YouTube TV fully they can just tell it to "----tune to ABC'' and it works, with DirecTV it wouldn't always respond correctly to changing channels via voice. I have also upgraded to the premium Echo remote with the 2 programmable buttons along with the 4 standard ones. Now they have quick buttons to the services they use the most, YTTV (button 1), Peacock (button 2) and the ones for Prime, Netflix etc. The other great thing about this option for them is they can just say "Echo watch the Thursday Night game" and it switches over. (I have changed the Cube's name from Alexa to Echo to keep the Kitchen Echo from responding). Honestly the hardest part for them was getting out of the habit of channel numbers and going with channel names-they were so used to "Tune to Channel 7" instead of "tune to ABC'' etc. But now that they have gotten the hang of it they really like it, my Mom has no issue changing to Peacock to watch Days of Our Lives and then changing back to traditional TV. One other note on the remote, if you use the upgraded remote with YTTV you can change channels up/down like linear TV and if you change around your guide to be those you watch most of the time it actually is a nice option. I am personally using an Apple TV that can offer some of these same things, but YTTV hasn't enabled channel changing via a Home Pod so at this point I'd say the Echo beats the Apple TV if you mostly watch traditional TV.

On this week's show Ara discusses the addition of some inexpensive acoustic panels to his recording room and we have a listener review of the Sofabaton X1 Smart Remote. We also read your emails and take a look at some of the week's news. News: Apple TV+ ups monthly subscription to $9.99 YouTube Has Around 1.5 Million 'NFL Sunday Ticket' Subscribers, Will Lose Over $1.2 Billion This Season YouTube TV lagging, ruining Sunday Ticket viewing for NFL fans Netflix's New Ad Chief Touts Growth to 15 Million Users Other: CSS Audio for your DIY Speaker Kits Sonic Acoustics Panels $25-30 for a 12 pack Hex Shape 14" X 12" X 0.4" No adhesive included. Simple Installation Amazon has plenty of acoustic panels to choose from including many with decorative prints. The entire treatment cost me $100. Sofabaton X1 Smart Remote Control I was looking for a product for my father-in-law to simplify the 3 remotes needed to control his TV, cable, and Roku. The Sofabaton is described on Amazon as "The most advanced X1 universal remote comes with a hub that can control most of your home entertainment devices. The powerful database is compatible with up to 500,000 IR & Bluetooth devices, From your TV, and gaming console, to your AV receiver and Blu-Ray, even your Philip Hue, Sonos Speaker." At the time of purchase it was $189.99. Here are my thoughts on the product. Packaging / Presentation The packaging was nicely done, similar to what you expect from a high end phone...each of the included components nestled neatly in their allotted spots. Remote Description The remote is narrow, about 2 " x 7 1⁄2 " long. It's a matte black finish all the way around with a slightly rubberized feel to it. The screen itself is relatively small - a little less than 2"x 1 1⁄2 . As you would expect with that size, the button layout is minimal. It has a scroll wheel - up, down, left, right - and basic buttons below such as volume, channel, etc. The buttons are lit for night viewing or a dark theater which is a nice feature. The included hub is a glossy black and about the size of a glass coaster or a deck of cards. Also included are 3 infrared blasters - one single and one with 2 blasters on 1 wire. Lastly, there is a power adapter for the hub and another USB-C cable to charge it. Programming Programming has to be done via the sofabaton app on your phone. You must link the hub and remote together, then add your devices. They are searchable if you don't know your model numbers. If you know your exact model, obviously that will speed things up. I didn't have to, but the Sofabaton remote can learn your device, or you can contact customer support and ask them to add your device if necessary. Once that is done, it will confirm your power configuration for that device. For example, does your device have a separate on/off switch. Once that is done you can add Activities , like Watch TV or Play Music. I made a "watch tv " activity. This macro turns on the TV, soundbar, and Roku to the correct input. After the commands are finished the remote controls the Roku and volume on the soundbar. Performance To summarize my experience, in a nutshell I must say there is a bit of a learning curve. I am used to using 3 different remotes. I know what I need to do. It took a while to get everything dialed in right. I had to experiment with the IR blasters and move them around to get a good signal to the device. When syncing the Hub I needed to try again by re-pairing with the button on the back. Adding devices took a while. I thought it was stuck because upon loading a device, it seemed like I lost my wi-fi connection until I realized it was just loading all the device info. When you finish an activity and something doesn't work, there is an option on your app to repair it. You can reconfigure any of the buttons to do what you want them to do. I made one of the colored buttons on the bottom to go right to the TV sleep menu. After you make a change it'll sync to the remote. After using it for roughly 2 weeks I feel more comfortable with it. I would get confused with the clicker wheel which in turn navigates the screen on the remote and the up/down left/right enter button in the middle which operates the device itself. The back arrow button at the top right that's for going back to activities, devices, or settings on the remote isn't easily reachable. I also learned I cannot turn on my PS5 via bluetooth because Sony doesn't allow third party vendors to access it via bluetooth. There is a workaround by having the activity switch to the playstation HDMI input, which will turn it on. With my setup this isn't necessary because the controller turns it on anyway and it automatically switches. ConclusionI would say this isn't for everyone because there is a long set up process and many potential bugs/issues along the way. If you're easily frustrated, not willing to put in the time to set it up correctly and allow yourself an adjustment period, this is not the remote for you. With that sa

On this week's show we look at the new devices supported by Matter 1.2 and we ask you if you are a Quiet Quitter of your pay TV service. We also read your emails and take a look at the week's news. News: Netflix Adds Nearly 9 Million Subscribers in Q3; Streamer Says Ad-Supported Plans Up Nearly 70% From Q2 Hulu, Max and Peacock are introducing a 'pause ads' feature DIRECTV Stream Finally Rolls Out Unlimited DVR to Legacy Subscribers Google Fiber Set To Roll Out Lightning Fast 20 Gig Internet by the End of the Year NextGen TV Devices to Top 10M by Year's End Other: Fix your remote buttons with ButtonWorx Find on-line content with reelgood.com. Matter 1.2 The new device types supported in Matter 1.2 include: Refrigerators – Beyond basic temperature control and monitoring, this device type is also applicable to other related devices like deep freezers and even wine and kimchi fridges. Room Air Conditioners – While HVAC and thermostats were already part of Matter 1.0, stand alone Room Air Conditioners with temperature and fan mode control are now supported. Dishwashers – Basic functionality is included, like remote start and progress notifications. Dishwasher alarms are also supported, covering operational errors such as water supply and drain, temperature, and door lock errors. Laundry Washers – Progress notifications, such as cycle completion, can be sent via Matter. Dryers will be supported in a future Matter release. Robotic Vacuums – Beyond the basic features like remote start and progress notifications, there is support for key features like cleaning modes (dry vacuum vs wet mopping) and additional status details (brush status, error reporting, charging status). Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Alarms – These alarms will support notifications and audio and visual alarm signaling. Additionally, there is support for alerts about battery status and end-of-life notifications. These alarms also support self-testing. Carbon monoxide alarms support concentration sensing, as an additional data point. Air Quality Sensors – Supported sensors can capture and report on: PM1, PM 2.5, PM 10, CO2, NO2, VOC, CO, Ozone, Radon, and Formaldehyde. Furthermore, the addition of the Air Quality Cluster enables Matter devices to provide AQI information based on the device's location. Air Purifiers – Purifiers utilize the Air Quality Sensor device type to provide sensing information and also include functionality from other device types like Fans (required) and Thermostats (optional). Air purifiers also include consumable resource monitoring, enabling notifications on filter status (both HEPA and activated carbon filters are supported in 1.2). Fans –Matter 1.2 includes support for fans as a separate, certifiable device type. Fans now support movements like rock/oscillation and new modes like natural wind and sleep wind. Additional enhancements include the ability to change the airflow direction (forward and reverse) and step commands to change the speed of airflow. Are you a quiet Quitter? We received an email from long time listener Mike LaBorde with a link to an article at TV Tech titled The `Quiet Quitters' of Pay TV Continue to Grow. Mike suggests that he is one and as I thought about my situation I decided I am one as well. So what is a Quiet Quitter and are you one of us? A Quiet Quitter is someone who has largely stopped viewing pay TV programming but hasn't dropped their pay TV subscription or "cut-the-cord." According to Inscape's recent Q2 2023 TV Market Trends report, about 5% of U.S. cable/satellite households have outright quit viewing content via their satellite and cable TV options in the second quarter of the year. Inscape found that 9% reduced their cable/satellite viewing by 75% or more from Q2 2022 to Q2 2023 (to account for viewing seasonality), but didn't fully quit. Additionally, 8.4% of U.S. cable/satellite households had a drop of 50-75% in cable/satellite viewing time in Q2 2023 from Q2 2022. I did some analysis on my own viewing habits and here are the numbers. Back in 2000 I spent one hour in the morning watching TV, mostly news, and four hours in the evening from 6:00 - 10:00 Monday through Friday. That is a total of five hours a day. I now listen to podcasts as I get ready in the morning which by itself reduces my pay TV usage by 20%. In the evening I watch Youtube for about 30 minutes and then I may turn to linear television for about 30 minutes to an hour while I wait for the family to assemble and watch TV. At this point I've already cut 1 ½ hours of my normal viewing. Once we've settled in to watch TV for the evening it's not from the live TV or the DVR but rather from Hulu, Peacock, Paramount, Max, or Netflix. On a non-sports evening I have cut my linear TV by as much as 90%. So why do I keep my subscription? It's those pesky sports teams that I follow. It's no fun watching delayed. You have to watch them live. The Dodgers, Kings, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, and to a lesser degree Tennessee Volunteers keep

On this week's show discuss the new Pro-Ject Dark Side of the Moon Turntable and talk about five mistakes to avoid with your earbuds. We finish up with a discussion about 5G Broadcast. Can it do what ATSC 3.0 can. We also read your emails and discuss the week's news. News: Comcast Plans World's First DOCSIS 4.0 Service Launch Next Week Netflix is planning to launch retail destinations in 2025 - The Verge Best Buy is axing physical DVD and Blu-ray business in this depressing digital world Netflix Usage Slips Behind YouTube Among U.S. Teens Other: Aqara Smart Video Doorbell G4 The Dark Side of the Moon Turntable The Dark Side of the Moon album is recognized for its artwork almost as much as the music. It shows an enigmatic prism that reflects beams of light into space. It's a magical and mystical theme that illustrates the band's complex sound pallet. For us, it was a no-brainer to create a turntable based on this concept & image. The result is an extraordinary turntable unlike any the audio market has seen. With high-quality materials were able to implement the core aspects of the artwork. The plinth is made of MDF- a dense, sturdy, resonance-absorbent material. The stainless steel axle of the heavy aluminum sub platter rotates in a bronze bushing. An AC motor drives the sub-platter & platter with a silicon drive belt. The low-resonance tonearm is a completely new design. It's definitely one of the highlights of this turntable. The combination of black aluminum & acrylic parts is an eye-catcher to say the least. The supplied Pick it PRO Special Edition MM phono cartridge delivers the rich sonics you would expect from Dark Side of the Moon turntable. With the addition of the LED-backlit rainbow, the turntable looks even more impressive in low light. As with all Pro-Ject turntables, The Dark Side of the Moon Turntable is handmade with care in Europe! Pre-order with November Delivery $1999.00 5 wireless earbuds mistakes you're probably making Get the best performance and user experience from your wireless earbuds by avoiding these common mistakes. Full article here… Don't skip the ear fit test - using the correct ear tip size for your ear canal is paramount to achieving optimal audio performance and the best noise-canceling experience. Don't leave Active Noise Canceling on - The processing power required to analyze ambient noise levels and cancel them out has a big impact on energy consumption of your wireless earbuds, and can shorten battery life significantly. Check Audio Settings - make sure you're connected via the highest wireless audio codec over Bluetooth that your earbuds can support from a similarly codec compatible playback device. Take better care of the charging case - Keeping your earbuds on charge overnight might feel convenient but it could be detrimental to the lifespan of the charging case's internal battery. Longer than necessary recharges can put a strain on the battery, degrading the battery cells and significantly shortening capacity. Download the app and use it periodically - companion apps provide numerous ways to enhance the listening experience through features like adaptive audio, noise canceling modes, and adjustable EQ settings. You will also need the app to upgrade firmware. What is 5G Broadcast? 5G Broadcast is a one-to-many technology where all mobile device viewers receive the live event through the 5G network. As the devices are effectively passive, adding more devices doesn't affect the network at all. Therefore, all users have the same high-level quality of experience and service. Although live video distribution is very important, 5G broadcast/multicast does not necessarily mean mobile TV. In fact, 5G is bringing new broadcast and multicast capabilities to the whole ecosystem. These can include software updates over the network to cars, phones, and other wireless devices What are some applications: Live events (sporting, festivals, and breaking news) are suitable for the one-to-many distribution model over 5G. Public safety messages are one of the basic 5G broadcast tasks. Think Weather, Flood, Fire etc Automobile manufacturers can update software and firmware as well as media and entertainment systems. 5G Broadcast can help with OTA real-time traffic and V2X delivery. V2X is a system under development that allows vehicles to communicate with each other. 5G multicast can enhance the fan experience in new ways and also bring benefits for MNOs. Venue casting can bring the live experience to the home. 5G can help improve the VoD experience by helping offload 35% of the traffic on mobile networks. Do we need this?

On this week's show Ara orders Holiday lights that he plans on leaving up year round. We also compare the HDR formats and explain terms to help you understand what it all means. We also read your emails and take a look at the week's news. News: Roku's latest update adds expert picture tuning, sports favoriting and more Infamous 'Turn-On' To Air On YouTube, Fastest Cancellation In TV History Netflix Still Having Ad-Supported Option Troubles? The Marketplace Decides AT&T Exploring Options for DirecTV as Pay-TV Subscriptions Continue Decline DIRECTV & DIRECTV STREAM Are Raising Their Prices Soon | Cord Cutters News Other: Canceled TV program "Turn On" Matter Smart Holiday String Lights Get festive with Nanoleaf Smart Holiday String Lights ($199 Pre-order)! The perfect decoration for your tree, or throughout your home to bring out the holiday spirit. Customizable color palettes and lighting animations set the Christmas mood in an instant, with just the touch of a button or a simple voice command. Sync with your favorite holiday songs to watch as your lights dance to the beat. Designed for both indoor and outdoor use. 250 Addressable LEDs | 20m 16+ Million Colors and Tunable Whites Use with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or Matter over Wi-Fi Control with Attached Controller, Nanoleaf App or through a Smart Home Ecosystem Requires a Matter compatible smart home hub and iOS/tvOS 16.5+ or Android OS 8.1+ to connect to a smart home ecosystem. Differences Between HDR10, HDR10+, and Dolby Vision - RTINGS.com I was reading an article (Differences Between HDR10, HDR10+, and Dolby Vision) over at RTINGS.com to see which HDR format they thought was the best. In the article they did an excellent explanation of what HDR is and what terms like bit depth and tone mapping are. We throw those around all the time but have never really explained what they are and why you should care. So this week we do that!

On this week's show we discuss a video where Caleb Denison of Digital Trends, says the AppleTV is the best at streaming your video and we have a review of the Tablo TV Over the Air DVR. We also read your emails and take a look at the week's news. News: Disney Kicks Off Password-Sharing Crackdown in Canada Samsung SmartThings And Philips Hue Expand Synergies FAST Is Making Streaming TV Look More Like Traditional TV Netflix Reportedly Set to Raise Prices After Actors Strike Ends Other: Dolby Atmos FlexConnect How You Stream Matters We received a couple of emails (one from Stan and one from John) this week pointing us to an article and video stating that how you stream your content affects what you see. The article is from Dark Horizons and the video is on Youtube (Apple TV Best for Netflix? Right Time To Buy a TV? | You Asked: Ep. 7). The video host, Caleb Denison of Digital Trends, says the AppleTV is the best, although he prefers using Google TV. So how did he come to this conclusion? Some TVs or set top boxes limit color bit depth to 4:2:0, which means more color banding just because you are watching on that particular platform. Many platforms may have that setting as the default so check to make sure you have an option to change it. Without going into a ton of detail, 4:4:4 is 100% of the chroma information, 4:2:2 is 50% and 4:2:0 is 25%. If you have Dolby Vision enabled on an AppleTV you will not have an option to select a Chroma setting. It will be 4:2:2 by default. Some platforms do not allow buffering. As a result you will never achieve the full 4K you are paying for. Caleb does not say which platforms do this. But if you have 4K with a slower data rate it won't be difficult to determine if your system is buffering or not. Another issue is with frame rate. Some will not give you 24 fps but will instead convert it to 30 fps. So why the AppleTV? According to the host, "It's the one with the least amount of questions and just enough controls available. It also comes with the fewest number of headaches, and for that I'm willing to pay a little extra. It's not perfect, but it is the least flawed and sadly I think that's where we're at right now with streaming." Tablo TV Over the Air DVR Over the years we have had a chance to review a lot of personal DVRs. Most of which have come and gone. Some had stand alone hardware and others required a PC. Some had built-in tuners and others required an external tuner. Today we take a quick look at a DVR that is a stand alone box no bigger than an AppleTV or Roku streaming box with two built in ATSC 2.0 tuners. That device is the Tablo 4th generation that goes for about $110. Features: Watch, pause and record live broadcast TV from your antenna. Record 50+ hours and never miss a moment with 128GB of onboard recording storage. Can expand up to 1000+ hours with an external hard drive Tablo lets you watch TV anywhere in your home on any smart device. Record and watch live TV, subscription-free (Internet service is required). Quick and easy setup. Setup Plug in power, Ethernet, and an antenna and you are ready to scan for channels. I initially had issues with the Tablo giving me location errors and stopping the install process there. I contacted their Customer Support and they acknowledged the error and informed me of a server issue they were experiencing. Once those were resolved the process resumed without a hitch. The only complaint I had was that it took too long to download the channel guide. But I was being impatient. Performance Once you complete the install and setup you can start watching TV and recording programs. I won't go into the details on how to do this because it's very intuitive and you've all done this before. In addition to the channels you receive over the air, Tablo has some FAST channels that include news, sports, old TV shows, and more. You watch on your Tablet or phone and on Set Top boxes. Currently Roku, fireTV, android TV, GoogleTV, iOS and Android are supported. AppleTV, Samsung TVs, WebOS, and Vizio TVs are coming soon. Two devices can watch/record live TV simultaneously and up to six can watched recorded or streamed content simultaneously. Picture quality is good, but we are talking 1080i or 720p OTA, so don't expect the same as 4K HDR content you get from AppleTV or Netflix. The user interface is very intuitive and easy to navigate. Setting up recordings is simple. Recorded programs are grouped together based on series. Guide information is available and I haven't been prompted to pay for it which is a big plus over other DVRs. There is no way to watch your content when you are away from home so consider that when making your buying decision. Also, a pleasant surprise is that you can record FAST channels and skip commercials. I'm not sure other devices let you do that. In all, this is a great device if you are looking for a DVR like you used to have back in the day. You can watch anywhere in the house and, soon enough, on any device. If you

On this week's show we take a look at the history of a company that is synonymous with home theater, Dolby Laboratories. We also read your emails and take a look at the week's news. News: LG Outlines Plans to Become a Media and Entertainment Platform | TV Tech Watch out Amazon and Roku, Vizio's new 4K TVs are vying to be the best budget TVs Comcast's Xumo-Branded Smart TVs Are Getting Good Reviews But Are Already Deeply Discounted LG Stops Integrating ATSC 3.0 Tuners Into Smart TVs After Losing Patent Dispute, Samsung and Sony Could Follow | Next TV Other: Hisense Smart Short Projector Renewed The Dolby Laboratories History Story in Chronological Order 1965 - Dolby Laboratories is a longtime innovator of developing electronic devices and systems to improve recorded sound. Founded by Ray Dolby in 1965, the company's first development was Dolby A-type noise reduction. It was basically a specially designed electronic circuit contained in a compact metal case. It was not a recording machine, but it could be attached to a recorder to improve its sound. 1966 - Dolby creates first product to reduce noise in music recordings. 1968 - Ray Dolby next developed a consumer version of the Dolby A system at the urging of Henry Kloss, an American audio pioneer and president of KLH Research and Development Corporation. The result was the 1968 introduction of Dolby B-type noise reduction, intended for home tape recorders. Following a relocation of the company from London to San Francisco, Dolby B was released into the world. Designed primarily for cassettes, it went on to completely alter the way music was both recorded and received world-over. It was simple and cheap, and by the mid-70s it was the standard for all cassette tapes – and is the type of noise reduction and is still used to this very day. Yes – people still like their cassette tapes! 1971 - The first film with Dolby sound was A Clockwork Orange (1971), which used Dolby noise reduction on all pre-mixes and masters, but a conventional optical sound track on release prints. 1974 - Callan was the first film with a Dolby-encoded optical soundtrack. 1975 - Dolby Laboratories introduced Dolby Stereo, a product aimed at motion picture producers and theaters. Dolby Stereo was used with existing 35-mm optical soundtracks, but with important changes. At the studio, stereo soundtracks were recorded using Dolby equipment. At the theaters, a Dolby unit and new loudspeakers were added to the existing projection equipment. The result was much higher sound quality. 1976 - The first true LCRS (Left-Center-Right-Surround) soundtrack was encoded on the movie A Star Is Born in 1976. In less than ten years, 6,000 cinemas worldwide were equipped to use Dolby Stereo sound. Dolby reworked the system slightly for home use and introduced Dolby Surround, which only extracted a surround channel, and the more impressive Dolby Pro Logic, which was the domestic equivalent of the theatrical Dolby Stereo. 1977 - Star Wars opens with Dolby Stereo®. 1982 - the company was receiving $6 million annually in licensing fees from approximately 125 audio equipment manufacturers. With circuits in about 70 million different consumer products, Dolby had a monopoly in the consumer noise reduction field. In the 1980s, virtually all pre recorded cassettes used Dolby B. The first major threat to Dolby's positioning began quietly in 1980, when dbx--a Newton, Massachusetts company--sold its system to several audio manufacturers, including the major Japanese company Matsushita Electric. In April 1982, the competition began to look more serious. Dbx pulled ahead of Dolby, developing the first miniature noise-reduction circuit for Walkmen, which at this time represented the fastest-growing consumer audio segment. Dbx, which had been developed in 1971, was a serious threat to Dolby because it reduced background noise by 40 decibels, a considerable improvement over Dolby's 10. Initially, high prices had made dbx unfamiliar to consumers, but the system was favored by recording professionals. By 1982, dbx had already far overtaken Dolby and held 70 percent of the commercial recording equipment market. In response to the threat posed by dbx's competition, Dolby introduced an upgraded version of its system, Dolby C, as well as a portable product. 1986 - Dolby Spectral Recording (or SR) worked on magnetic soundtracks for film as well as music cassettes, producing digital clarity from an analog sound system. Dolby SR used the same basic principle as Dolby's original circuit, monitoring the sound signal and adjusting frequency boost to suit the loudness level, with different signal levels boosted at different amounts. The result was a system that was dynamic and almost infinitely flexible. The system was used by many professional studios instead of digital recording, and in 1988 Dolby SR was in use at movie theaters showing the films Robocop and Space. 1992 - Dolby achieved $40 million in revenues, with a third from royalty

This week we discuss how the network TV programmers are dealing with the SAG and WGA strike. We also give you some alternative ways to deal with the strike. Plus we read your emails and take a look at the week's news. News: Upcoming Hulu (No Ads) Price Change Disney to Release Genuinely Insane Blu-ray Box Set Featuring 100 Animated Films This Fall Amazon Says Its 'Thursday Night Football' Opener Was 'Most-Streamed Game Ever' Max Will Stream Live NBA, MLB, NHL Games For Free Through February With "Bleacher Report" Sports Add-On Other: WHAT REALLY HAPPENED TO MARANTZ Tear Apart Your House For $200 With This Rotary Subwoofer | Hackaday YOU Lost the Streaming Wars LUBA AWD 5000: Perimeter Wire Free Robot Lawn Mower Owner Quick Review LUBA AWD Series is the first and only Perimeter Wire Free Robot Lawn Mower that can handle complex lawns up to 5000 ㎡ (1.25 acres) with 75% slope (37°). MSRP $2,599 Since you guys talk about home automation, I figured I would tell you about my new toy. I bought a Mammotion Luba robot lawn mower and it is awesome! You don't have to bury a line for your perimeter. It uses GPS/RTK technology and you drive it around the perimeter of your lawn so it knows the area. Then it mows. It does straight lines and not just the random all over thing and you can alternate what direction it goes. When it gets down to 15% battery, it just automatically goes to the dock and recharges and then continues where it left off after. It has a motor on each wheel so it is all wheel drive and durable and heavy so it can climb up to 37 degree grade of a hill. It also looks like a formula one race car. If it starts raining it will go back and wait too. It is pretty sweet! It mows my lawn 3 times a week while I am working and so no more allergies. I do the edging and weed eating once every other week and that is it. Automation! Love it! Jason Petty The SAG and WGA strike continues The SAG and WGA strike has been going on for a couple of months now. Have you noticed anything missing? If you haven't, you're not the only one. Negotiations broke down shortly after the strike started but this week they have started up (Writers Guild Says Negotiations Set to Resume Wednesday). In the meantime networks have come up with a strategy to get you through the TV season and we have some ideas as well. This show is in place of our yearly new Fall TV preview. Bill Maher was slated to bring his show back without the writers but has since put that idea on hold since negotiations have started up. Good idea? Should he just go for it? (Bill Maher Becomes First Host to Make Late-Night Return Without Writers) CBS decided to start broadcasting its premier episode of Yellowstone. It originally debuted on the Paramount Network back on June 20, 2018 and got 6.6 million viewers for CBS. When you consider that brand new episodes of The Equalizer, wish was in the same time slot last year, garnered 6.47 million viewers last season. This may not be a bad idea! Disney announced that 10 Monday Night Football games will be broadcast on ABC and ESPN. ABC had planned to run two hours of Dancing With the Stars from 8 p.m. - 10 p.m. on Mondays, with new reality spinoff The Golden Bachelor airing at 10 p.m. The network has decided to pair The Golden Bachelor with nine-year-old sibling Bachelor in Paradise to fill Thursday primetime, while DWTS will move to Tuesdays, starting September 26. The MNF average audience was 22.6 million viewers across ESPN, ESPN 2 and ABC for its season-opening matchup. Which was a record. ABC's entire Thursday night lineup consists of game shows: "Celebrity Wheel of Fortune," "Press Your Luck" and "The $100,000 Pyramid." The ABC has no new scripted programming on its fall schedule. On Fox Gordon Ramsay will work double shifts with shows airing on two nights. Survivor and The Amazing Race moving to 90-minute episodes this fall If you are missing late night hosts, they have created a podcast for you. Jimmy Kimmel, John Oliver, Seth Meyers, Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Fallon. They are planning to release 12 episodes with the guys talking about their time in Hollywood with some comedy bits thrown in. . Three streamers are in good position to weather the strike according to Forbes from the article: Discovery+ (Now Max) Which one is in the best shape? That appears to be Discovery+ (which recently merged with corporate sibling Warner Bros.' HBO Max to become the megastreamer Max), and that makes sense. Before the merger, Discovery+ was known for its unscripted content, reflecting the Discovery family of cable brands from TLC to HGTV to Food Network, which is relatively cheap to produce and easy to make a lot of. Ninety-five percent of Discovery+ content is unscripted, according to Parrot's research. Peacock Ranked second is NBCUniversal's Peacock—40% of its content is unscripted. With rights to Bravo hits like the Real Housewives franchise and Vanderpump Rules, Peacock is well situated to thrive without new scripted content. To wit,

This week DJ Briggs from BrightSideHometheater.com joins the show to discuss what he saw at CEDIA. We also read your emails and take a look at the week's news. News: Hisense upstages TCL by adding a gigantic 100-inch mini-LED TV 2023 CEDIA Expo Best of Show Winners Last week the Custom Electronic Design And Installation Association better known as CEDIA had their annual show in Denver CO. On today's show we will discuss some of the awards that were given out. CEDIA is the global industry association and central touch point for smart home technology, provides members with cutting-edge education, develops standards to ensure the highest levels of professionalism, and is the industry's only certifying body. CEDIA furthers collaboration with architects, designers, builders, and homeowners to deliver technology solutions that allow families to experience their best moments in life in the comfort of their own homes. Below are the awards from Residential System, TWICE and What Hi-Fi. We are not going through the entire list but we pick products that we feel our listeners not only are interested in but can afford to buy (well some of them anyway). We also have a bonus section where DJ Briggs of BightSideHomeTheater.com gives us his list of five things he thought were super cool. Check out his podcast to find out why he felt that way. Residential Systems entries were judged through the lens of the residential integrator, while TWICE based theirs on a consumer electronics retail view and What Hi-Fi? from the home entertainment enthusiast perspective. Residential Systems Best of Show Awards Winners AWOL Vision AWOL Vision 150" 4K 3D RGB Laser Projector LTV-3500 Pro $6000 All the AWOL Vision laser projectors have been officially Dolby Vision certified by Dolby Lab The Dolby Vision feature can be activated by updating the incoming September 2023 version firmware wirelessly regardless of when you bought it. True 3500 ANSI Lumens, the LTV-3500 UST projector is the brightest, triple-laser 4K UST projector on the market. Cinematic 3D Display With high enough brightness even during the day, LTV-3500 4k laser projector is the best choice for you. Paired with our ALR Day light projector screen, LTV-3500 delivers bright and sharp details even under high ambient light, no need for blackout curtains. The AWOL VISION UST 4K projector covers 107% of the top BT 2020 Color Gamut. It reaches 147% of DCI-P3 used for digital movie theater projection, giving you superior contrast and color accuracy. Epson America, Inc. Epson EpiqVision Ultra LS800 4K PRO-UHD Ultra Short-Throw 3-Chip 3LCD Smart Streaming Laser Projector $3500 Picture sizes up to 150" in 16:9 Modern Low Profile Design 4K PRO-UHD Resolution¹ 3-Chip 3LCD Technology 10-Bit HDR Color 4,000 Lumens of Color & White Brightness² Over 2,500,000:1 Dynamic Contrast Ratio 2.1 Audio System by Yamaha Three HDMI 2.0 Ports (1 ARC) 16.7ms Input Lag – Ideal for Gaming Built-In Android TV³ Easy Setup App for iOS & Android 2-Year Limited Warranty Available in Black or White Ethereal 8 Meter Velox Passive HDMI Cable $240 Supports up to 48Gbps, 4K/120, 8K/60 & Dynamic HDR Advanced features in metallurgy, topology, dielectric and shielding 3mm Shield Strip-back - helps to reduce 6G jitter 100% Copper Shielding - reduces EMI Bypass ground - provides better return loss Conductors direct solder to connector Audio Return Channel (eARC and ARC) Grip-Lox™ terminal Furrion Aurora 2.1 Outdoor Soundbar Speaker with Wireless Subwoofer $770 Six speaker system with bass radiator for powerful sound output 130W of explosive, high-definition audio Wireless 8" subwoofer to add more bass Speaker Frequency response: 200Hz-18kHz Subwoofer frequency response: 16Hz-256Hz Multiple equalizer settings for customized audio tuning Bluetooth® 5.0 enabled for easy pairing with TV and other mobile devices HDMI and optical inputs for connecting devices IP45-rated weatherproof housing to protect against the elements Weatherproof remote control, HDMI ARC cable and mounting brackets included Furrion Aurora Sun 4K UHD LED Outdoor Smart TV with HDR10 starting at $3000 Smart platform powered by webOS Hub allows for streaming your favorite apps, movies and shows 4K ultra-high definition HDR10 Technology Anti-glare, 1500-nit LED screen RangeXtend™ external antennas for stronger WiFi signal IP54 rated, weatherproof housing Works with Furrion Aurora Soundbar, mounts & covers XtremeShield™ IK08-rated impact-resistant screen for protection against collisions and scratches Connects to Furrion soundbars via Bluetooth, HDMI or optical inputs HD Anywhere uControl Smart Remote uControl is a smart home system that focuses on the things you do in your home everyday. From enjoying your favorite TV shows, immersing yourself in music or effortlessly changing the lighting to suit your mood, all from one unified, universal and unintimidating interface. PSB Speakers Alpha IQ Powered Speakers $1300/pr A simplified approach to audio, the Alpha iQ come

This week look at what would happen if Instagram and TikTok allowed 10 minute short video clips. Also, we breakdown why local network affiliates are trying to convince the FCC to start treating IPTV Streamers like cable TV providers. We also read your emails and take a look at the week's news. News: You'll soon be able to control an LG appliance with Samsung's app — and vice versa Shure launches Aonic 50 Gen 2 headphones with spatial audio and hybrid ANC at IFA 2023 Roku Laying Off 10% of Employees, Will Take up to $65 Million Charge to Remove Streaming Content Other: A New Paradigm in Immersive Audio Design Excellence Instagram is internally testing the ability to create Reels up to 10 minutes long By increasing the time limit on Reels from three minutes to 10, Instagram would be aligning its short-form video product with TikTok, which expanded its maximum video length to 10 minutes back in February 2022. The change would also put Reels in competition with YouTube. Full Article Here… Local ABC, CBS, FOX, & NBC Owners Demand The FCC Reclassify YouTube TV, Fubo, DIRECTV STREAM, & More As Cable TV Companies In a nutshell - A bunch of affiliate stations are asking the FCC to treat IPTV streamers like cable companies. Which would force the streamers to negotiate directly with the TV station owners. If local TV stations win, Fubo, Hulu, and others wouldn't be able to strike deals directly with Paramount for all CBS stations. Instead, they will need to go to each individual owner of each local TV station. For the record - CBS owns 14 stations throughout the US. California — Los Angeles — KCBS California — San Francisco — KPIX California — Sacramento — KOVR Colorado — Denver — KCNC Florida — Miami — WFOR Illinois — Chicago — WBBM Maryland — Baltimore — WJZ Massachusetts — Boston — WBZ Michigan — Detroit — WWJ Minnesota — Minneapolis — WCCO New York — New York — WCBS Pennsylvania — Philadelphia — KYW Pennsylvania — Pittsburgh — KDKA Texas — Dallas/Fort Worth — KTVT The net result would mean that live TV streaming services would need to pay a $1.23 fee per subscriber every year for the FCC regulatory fee imposed on cable TV companies. It's our take that the amount would start at $1.23 and go up very quickly. So Nexstar Media Group, Sinclair, E.W. Scripps, and Gray Television want to cut out the big networks and negotiate directly to bring their locals to streaming services. They hope to get better deals than what the parent companies have agreed to. They argue that the current situation is unfair to local station owners. The argument is that the deals as they exist today don't give local stations enough money to produce local news. For now, it looks like local station owners are ready for a long fight to get what they believe will be a better deal for them. Thoughts on the situation: I never understood why any local network could charge for cable access? What did they do before cable? We could barely watch some channels in the 70s. After cable they all came in clear. If anything, they should have been paying the cable companies to carry the channels. Let's say Hulu and the rest of them just say forget it! What happens? - The only real impact that I see is with the NFL Why wouldn't Nexstar just tell the networks that they want a bigger cut and have one big voice when negotiating? Sounds like the networks screwed the affiliates. What do local stations provide? In the old days they would provide weather traffic and sports. Now I get real time traffic on my phone as well as weather and sports scores. For breaking news, I follow my affiliate and if something big is happening locally I jump on their news stream. Maybe they should cut their budgets and have one newscast in the morning and evening. Are they really locally owned when a company like Sinclair owns multiple stations across the US?

This week is the start of the college football season and we help you find where your favorite team's games can be watched. We also read your emails and take a look at the week's news. News: TCL Launches Branded Streaming Platform TCLtv+ With Interactive Tech Dolby Atmos will use your TV to expand living room speaker setups Google adds first-gen indoor Nest cameras to its Home app Deal Alert! Get Half Off a Year of Paramount+ Just in Time For September's NFL & College Football Games TCL Launches Massive 98" S Class S5 TV With Bezel-less Design for Under $5k College Football - Where can you find it? It's probably the best time of year. You have Baseball wrapping up, the air is cooling down, and it's college football season. There are so many games and leagues but where can you watch your favorite team? We have done the research and this is where you can find the leagues and games for free. Conference Networks Many conferences have their own 24/7 network that carry more than just football. But on Saturdays in the fall they are all about football! Here is where you will find four of the most popular conference networks Pac - 12 - Spectrum, xfinity, Cox, dish, SlingTV, Frontier, Fubo, Vidgo Full List can be found here. Big Ten - Fox Sports App with TV provider credentials. AT&T U-verse, Cox, DirecTV/DTV Stream, Dish, Frontier, Fubo, Google Fiber, Hulu Live, Filo, Sling, Virgo, Youtube TV SEC - AT&T U-Verse. Cox. DIRECTV/Stream, DISH, Spectrum, Xfinity, Verizon Fios. Streaming on Hulu, Sling TV, YouTube TV ACC - Youtube TV, Hulu, Spectrum, DIRECTV/Stream, Dish Network, Sling TV, Cox Broadcast Networks In addition to their own networks, the conferences have contracts with the broadcast networks to air the biggest games of the week. ABC: ACC, American, Big 12, Pac-12, championship games (ACC, American, Big 12 and Pac-12 in odd-numbered years), Citrus Bowl, LA Bowl and Las Vegas Bowl CBS: SEC, Big Ten, Mountain West, SEC Championship Game, Commander-in-Chief's Trophy games (include Army-Navy) and Sun Bowl Fox: Big 12, Big Ten, Mountain West, Pac-12, championship games (Big Ten, Mountain West, and Pac-12 in even-numbered years) and Holiday Bowl NBC: Notre Dame, Big Ten The CW: ACC Cable Networks The cable networks get in on the action as well! CBS Sports Network: Army, C-USA, MAC, Mountain West, Navy, UConn, C-USA Championship Game and Hula Bowl ESPN networks (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNews, ESPN3 and ESPN+): ACC, American, Big 12, Big Ten, C-USA, MAC, Pac-12, SEC, Sun Belt, UMass, championship games (MAC and Sun Belt) and most bowl games including the entirety of the College Football Playoff Fox Sports 1: Big 12, Big Ten, Mountain West and Pac-12 Fox Sports 2: Mountain West Peacock: Notre Dame, Big Ten If your team is involved in a huge game (or playing Notre Dame) look for them to be on the broadcast networks or ESPN. If you went to a less competitive major conference school, their games will be on the networks overflow channels like FS1, Peacock, Espn the Ocho , etc, Unless they are playing Notre Dame. Then they will be on display for what inevitably will be the smaller schools' Superbowl. IPTV Services DirecTV Stream FuboTV Hulu Plus Live TV Sling TV YouTube TV Base price $75 per month for 75-plus channels $75 per month for 100-plus channels $70 per month for 90-plus channels $40 per month for 30-plus (Orange) or $45 for 40-plus (Blue) channels $73 per month for 100-plus channels Free trial Yes Yes No No Yes ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC channels Yes, in many markets Yes, in many markets Yes, in many markets ABC, Fox and NBC only in select cities (Blue only) Yes, in many markets Simultaneous streams per account 20 (in home, 3 outside of it) 10 (in home, 3 outside of it) 2 ($15 option for unlimited) 1 (Orange), 3 (Blue) 3 ($20 adds unlimited plus 4K streams) Family member/user profiles No Yes Yes No Yes Cloud DVR Yes (20 hours, unlimited for $10 a month) Yes (1,000 hours) Yes (unlimited) Yes (50 hours, 200 hours for $5 a month) Yes (unlimited) Fast-forward through or skip commercials with cloud DVR No (yes with $15 option) Yes Yes Yes Yes

This week a listener asks if his separates from the 80s are as good as his more modern home theater equipment. We also read your emails and look at the week's news. News: YouTube TV is Reportedly The Only Live TV Provider To Add Subscribers In The 2nd Quarter of 2023 (Cable TV or Streaming) 75% of Smart TV Owners Use Non-TV Viewing Functions LG Unveils New 'Magnit' Micro LED Screen YouTube offers new billing options for NFL package Other: Best Ever Audiophile Speakers, for REAL! Soundbar Mouts from Monoprice.com Vintage vs Modern Gear We received the following email from Chris asking us to take a look at Vintage vs Modern Gear: In your latest episode, you were discussing receivers. And I got to thinking: Are the receivers of today drastically better than the component stereo systems of the 80s? So if today, you put a component system from the 80s in the same environment as a receiver from the 2020s, could you tell the difference? We have seen the resurgence of the turntable, will we also see the resurgence of the component stereo? Separate tuner, amp, equalizer, etc. Can you explain a little in layman's terms the way the music is delivered today via compression and frequency reduction (Spotify, XM, Apple Music, etc)? Meaning does the vinyl LP for example, go from -20 kHz to +140 kHz whereas streaming compresses to -10 kHz to +80 kHz, so you could get a better audio experience with vinyl? Vintage Gear Size and Weight - Vintage amplifiers are heavy by today's standards. In their heyday, owning one that weighed fifty to one hundred pounds wasn't unheard of. A majority of that weight came from the massive transformers housed inside. Those large transformers let the amplifier drive demanding speakers with ease and let the system run at a higher current. Most vintage receivers used Class A/B amps, which were more efficient and ran cooler than their Class A counterparts. Power - During the "power wars" of the '70s and '80s, manufacturers kept increasing how much power their amps could output, really pushing the limits of the amplifier technology of the time. For example, the Pioneer SX-1980 from 1978 cranked out an astonishing 270 watts per channel. Electronics - a majority of amps were hardwired and didn't have an over-reliance on a circuit board, meaning they were more user serviceable if you knew what you were doing, and often cheaper to fix if you didn't. New Gear Performance - Class A/B amps sound better today than ever, given the significant improvements in transformer technology and component circuitry. Modern amplifiers have less distortion than older ones, and you get better performance for a lot less money. It's a digital world - With modern amplifiers and receivers, you're gaining modern connections. From HDMIs to optical and coaxial connections, having digital inputs on your amplifier means you can hook up your TV, gaming consoles, CD player, and more. The sound quality is clearer and more precise. You can also use Bluetooth or Wi-Fi and an app-based interface to stream your music for extra convenience. Which one sounds better? Ready for our non-answer? It depends. There are certainly receivers from the 70s and 80s that sound better than receivers built today. But you are talking about the high end products. For example, the classic Pioneer SX1980 is rated at 0.03% THD and back in 1980, it would cost you $1,295 to pick one up. That's about $5,450 in today's dollars. Yamaha's A-S501 is rated at 0.019% THD, and can be had for $549. Vinyl vs Digital Frequency response - Both can reproduce sound that is beyond what a human can hear. It comes down to how the digital music is sampled and in some cases compressed. Low quality mp3 and AAC files throw away much of the recording so you are not getting all of the original. Let's put that aside because none of us listen to low quality music. There is a debate, however, about high quality mp3 and AAC (anything greater than 256Kbps sampled at 44.1KHz) vs lossless. I personally can't hear the difference and have done many blind A/B tests with those who claim that they can hear the difference only to conclude that none of my self proclaimed audiophile friends can hear the difference either. I won't say that no one can hear the difference reliably, but I will say that the number of those who can is very small. When it comes to vinyl it's a preference for the sound. I prefer the clean sound of high quality digital. It's easy to take my entire library with me everywhere I go. Braden loves his vinyl. It's warmer and more nostalgic. One is not better than the other, it's a personal preference. I am happy that I can now have an audio experience that was only available to people with deep pockets back in the 80s. Today, everyone can have a system that my 20 year old self only dreamed about. And you can take it on the go!

This week Braden tells his Soundbar saga and Ara bought an Airpod Max. We also have early results of our Listener Speaker Configuration Survey. Plus we read your emails and the week's news. News: Free ad-supported TV streaming services are booming, 1 in 3 U.S. viewers tune in Netflix, Amazon and Hulu Hegemony Is Waning, Survey Says SHARP Aquos XLED TVs: A Game Changer For Independent Retailers Cable, Broadcast TV Viewing Falls Below 50% For First Time As Streaming Gains Steam Listener Speaker Configurations On the last show we asked you to tell us what type of speaker configurations you are listening to. This week we will give you the results and provide you some resources for getting the most out of your setup. Atmos 32% 7 Channel 32% 5 Channel 32% Soundbar 2 channel 26.5% 6 Channel 6% 9 Channel 3% Dolby Speaker Setup Guides Small Den/Bedroom ~250 Square feet Soundbar or 2.1 Family/Bonus Room up to 300 square feet 5.1 Greater than 300 square feet 7.1 - Consider seating as well. 7.1 systems need space behind the seating positions to be properly configured. Atmos There is an option in all of the above scenarios for Atmos. The question is whether it's worth it or not. Ask yourself the following questions: Are you more concerned about sound effects vs sound quality. If the answer is yes, put more of your budget towards Atmos capability. Is your room big enough to fully utilize Atmos speakers? While you can put Atmos anywhere, do you need it? A 5.1 system in a small room will provide you with a dynamic experience that can overwhelm the senses. Is there someplace else you can put resources to improve the experience like room treatments or better front speakers? How much content do you watch that has Atmos? Of course this can change as more movies and TVs are mixed for Atmos. Do I have a good subwoofer? You will get more bang for your buck improvement in your theater with a properly sized and configured subwoofer than by adding Atmos.

This week Samsung is bringing an 89" Micro LED TV to market and it will only cost you $102,000USD. We also take a look at AV receivers that we don't typically talk about. And as usual we read your emails and look at the week's news stories. News: How DIY Is Blurring The Lines In Smart Home Security LG's most popular OLED TVs just fixed a big brightness problem with a new update LG's 'wireless' and wildly expensive 97-inch OLED TV sees first global release Sony's 2023 A95L QD-OLED TV up for preorder in August starting at $2,800 Other: LEICA CINE 1 THE ART OF HOME CINEMA. Samsung's Stunning 89-Inch MicroLED TV Could Be What's Next After OLED When it comes to the best TVs, one of the biggest challenges is figuring out which display technology is truly the best. One of the contenders? MicroLED, which promises a serious upgrade over existing MiniLED technologies. Full article here… Receivers We Don't Typically Talk About We get questions about receiver recommendations and we typically stay with brands we have experience with. We have never had someone come back at us to complain about a Denon, Yamaha, or Marantz receiver. We run these in our homes everyday so we feel confident recommending them to you. But there are other brands that have loyal followings that you may want to consider. These brands are typically more expensive and full featured. Below are the lowest cost receivers from brands we don't typically talk about. Arcam AVR10 7.2-channel home theater receiver with Bluetooth® and Apple AirPlay® 2 The AVR10 is a high-performance audio/visual receiver that delivers stunning realism for the ultimate home cinema experience. With an impressive 12-channel surround solution and featuring all the latest CODECs from Dolby, DTS, Auro-3D and IMAX Enhanced, the AVR10 exemplifies sound quality and engineering excellence. Audiophile listening experiences are optimised with full 12-channel Dirac calibration on board as well as simple streaming with a mobile device using the native app of choice via Apple AirPlay2 or Google Chromecast. You can find the Arcam AVR10 at Crutchfield for $2200 NAD T 758 V3i A/V Surround Sound Receiver A performance update to our award-winning T 758 A/V Surround Sound Receiver, the T 758 V3i continues NAD's 'simple is better' design philosophy by delivering a fluid user-friendly experience. From lifelike surround sound performance to heart thumping power, the T 758 V3i is a true treat for the senses. Employing NAD's proprietary MDC technology, the T 758 V3i is ready for future upgrades and features. With 4K UltraHD video, the T 758 V3i offers a vivid and engaging presentation when it comes to the latest in digital video technology. Complete with AV presets that are yours to customise, the T 758 V3i gives you total control of what you hear and how you see it. The NAD AV Remote iOS app to make your smartphone a remote control is available as a free download. Available at NAD's website for $1699. Emotiva BasX MR1L 9.2 Channel Dolby Atmos® & DTS:X™ Cinema Receiver How long have you been waiting for a receiver that can actually deliver the superb uncompromising performance of separate components? The BasX MR1L cinema receiver combines a high performance 13.2 channel immersive surround sound processor, and an audiophile quality 9 channel amplifier, in a single chassis. The processor section of the MR1L supports 4k UHD video, including HDR and Dolby Vision, enhanced ARC (eARC), and the latest Dolby Atmos® and DTS:X™ immersive surround sound formats. The MR1L features six HDMI 2.0b video inputs, all of which support 4k UHD HDR video, and includes support for enhanced ARC (eARC). Included with the MR1L is a measurement microphone and the latest version of EmoQ, our well-regarded automatic room correction system. The MR1L also offers multiple analog and digital audio inputs, and an integrated Bluetooth receiver with aptX. Available at Emotiva's website for $1599. Anthem MRX 540 8K 5.2-channel home theater receiver with Dolby Atmos®, Wi-Fi®, Bluetooth®, and Apple AirPlay® 2 Anthem's MRX 540 8K receiver is an excellent option for creating a high-performance home theater in a smaller room. It has everything you need — fantastic A/V processing, robust amplification, and exceptional room calibration — without extra channels of power that would go unused. This upscale receiver is an especially good choice if you plan to play premium content through it — like 4K Blu-ray discs or uncompressed music files from a high-resolution library. It even has the latest HDMI technology for 8K video sources, including premium gaming consoles. The MRX 540 8K is engineered to squeeze every drop of detail out of these high-res formats, and that's why it's worth considering over more modestly priced 5.1-channel receivers. Available at Anthem's website for $1900.

This week we take a look at the best speakers for 2023 that are priced between $50 and $1000. And Ara reviews the Sony HT-AX7 Portable Theater System from Sony. We also read your emails and take a look at the week's news. News: TCL's new 98-inch 4K TV is as ridiculously cheap as it is ridiculously big Sony's latest QD-OLED TV is significantly brighter than last year's models Charter to Make Its Comcast JV Xumo Its 'Go To' Video Platform Disney just delivered potential death blow to DVDs and Blu-rays Best Stereo Speakers for 2023 Whether you're shopping for bookshelf models or a pair of floorstanders, these are the best speakers for the money. Full article here… HT-AX7 Portable Theater System with 360 Spatial Sound Mapping The Sony HT-AX7 is a portable Theatre System with 360 Spatial Sound Mapping technology that attempts to bring cinematic surround sound to any room. It is a portable speaker system that has two detachable speakers that can be placed behind you to create a sound bubble that, according to Sony, will make you feel completely immersed in sound. We saw reviews and were excited to buy the $500 speaker and put it through it's paces. Features: Cinematic sound. Anywhere When Sound Field effect is off, place the three speakers in the corners of your room for whole room audio No wires - battery rated to last for 30 hours. 10 min Quick Charge will get you 2.5 hours Weighs 3 pounds (1.4 Kg) so it's easy to transport Setup This was trivial. From the time I took it out of the well packaged box to when I was listening to sound took about five minutes. And I was going slow! All you need to do is pair the speaker with your device and start watching something. You can use the Sony Home Entertainment app to tweak it a bit more. But beyond that there isn't much to do. Performance I had high hopes that this would be something cool. But it's important to note that Bluetooth does not support Dolby Digital and the box does not have a Dolby or DTS logo anywhere so all the spatial sound is completely synthetic and processed by the HT-AX7. Top Gun Maverick was the first movie watched and quite frankly the experience was underwhelming. I could barely hear anything coming out of the satellite speakers. I went into the app and maxed out the volume for the speakers which made a big difference. In some respects the satellite speakers enhanced the experience but I wouldn't say it was immersive. Then I watched the opening sequence to 6 Underground which has the most action packed opening sequence I have seen in a long while. It's the perfect scene to show off your Atmos system. Watching on my ipad with the front speaker two feet in front of me and the surround speakers one foot behind me. I did get a more realistic surround experience than just watching on my iPad. But it wasn't until I balanced the surround speakers on their sides and aimed them right at my ears that I began to really think that this product was something pretty cool. The experience was similar to the old Dolby Pro Logic surround from the 90s. And I did not feel as though I was in a sound bubble like the marketing material claims. By comparison, my Atmos system makes you feel like you are on the street in the Italian square that the opening sequence was shot in. Spatial Audio from Apple Music sounded fuller and did make the experience more immersive. But from an audio point of view the quality wasn't as good as my Audioengine Desktop speakers. In general I was not impressed with the sound from the speakers. It was a bit thin and there was no LFE output that would allow me to add the low end with a subwoofer. But still much better than your speakers on your devices. When the satellite speakers are connected to the main unit it functions like any other wireless Bluetooth speaker. However, there is no support for Airplay. If you remove the satellites and turnoff the sound field effect you get three speakers playing the same thing. It's a nice way to fill a room with ambient music for get togethers. Who is this device for? Someone with deep pockets who wants to improve the audio experience when watching movies on a tablet, phone, or PC. It is kind of cool sitting on your bed watching something on your personal device in surround sound. But at $500, I think the market for this device is small.

This week we ask if we are at "Peak TV". We also read your emails and take a look at the week's news. News: Netflix gets rid of cheapest basic ad-free option in the U.S., U.K. Spotify raises the price of its Premium plans Other: DoItForMe Solutions Samsung's The Wall Completes Luxurious Home Theater - Phil Truby Are We at Peak TV? Listener Stan from Pittsburg sent the following email that we wanted to discuss in some detail. This article has me wondering whether the days of significantly improving TV technology will end in the near future. Why spend money on technology upgrades or picture quality when there is more money to made by turning cheap televisions into advertising platforms. For videophiles, maybe there will only be one or two brands with fewer high picture quality models to choose from with much higher prices. I hope I am wrong. What do the HT Guys think? LG is transforming its TV business – expect more ads & services - FlatpanelsHD Thanks for the great podcast. Stan Liang Pittsburgh Pa

This week take a deep dive into the SAG and WGA strike. We also read your emails and take a look at the week's news. News: Telly starts shipping its free ad-supported 55-inch TVs Half of internet users switch off broadcast TV Get ready for light-based Wi-Fi, because it's now an official standard Leviton jumps on the Matter bandwagon Other: CLZ movie database What does the WGA and SAG strike mean and how will it affect TV and Movie Production This marks the first time since 1960 that both unions are on strike simultaneously. Here is a list of the issues; We're Fighting for the Survival of Our Profession What striking members are not allowed to do: No acting or singing or stunts. No interviews to promote movies or shows. No piloting on-camera aircraft No puppeteering No performance capture or motion capture work. No re-recording dialogue, voice acting, narration and stunt coordination No promoting new projects—including tours, personal appearances, and attendance at premieres and screenings No Interviews, as well as podcast appearances and promotion on social media. No awards campaigning, such as appearances at "for your consideration events," Actors cannot appear at any conventions, fan expos or festivals Members must also "instruct their agent and/or other representatives to discontinue conducting negotiations on their behalf with the studios

This week Ara explains why he gave up on "The Walking Dead" and we ask if we are at "Peak TV" we also read your emails and take a look at the week's news. News: Sony's new spatial sound system is actually portable Apple Vision Pro should make Apple TV+ shows look amazing — here's how Pluto TV Adds a 24/7 Hollywood Squares Channel Samsung Introduces New 83-Inch Class OLED 4K TV Other: Google accidentally made the ULTIMATE Smart Home Dashboard! Inside The Las Vegas Sphere How Apple Vision Pro will try to fight off motion sickness The Entire Timeline of The Walking Dead and its new spinoffs explained It's been a really, really long time since that fateful day when Rick Grimes woke up to an apocalyptic nightmare in 2010. How long, exactly? Let's dive into The Walking Dead's timeline and figure out what's going on. Timeline here… Things that bugged me about The Walking Dead: Not once in the seven seasons I watched the show did anyone try to locate short wave radio and make contact beyond their local area. While I understand food was available in the urban areas, why not try to get out to areas of the country that were not populated. When a living being dies they decompose in a few months. Why then do the walking dead not decompose but stay intact until their heads are blown off The walking dead slow down in cold weather. Why not go north in the winter and clear out huge swaths of land/city and build defenses that walking dead can't get through? There are very few animals. If they didn't turn into the walking dead animals, where did they go? Are you at Peak TV? Many consumers are either at or near their maximum number of TV services and do not plan to spend any more money on subscriptions. Full article here…

This week we found out more about the Free Telly TV and their user agreement. We give you three options for the best 75 inch TV and we read your email and look at the week's news. News: Vizio is retooling its home screen interface Walmart To Release Google TV Streaming Stick DIRECTV STREAM Announces The Launch Date For NFL Network Other: ScreenBeam MoCA 2.5 Network Adapter for Higher Speed Internet, Ethernet Over Coax - Starter Kit (Model: ECB6250K02) W3 Wireless Audio Adapter — Audioengine N22 Desktop Amplifier — Audioengine More Info on the Telly TV User's Agreement and Other Details Originally planned to ship at the end of June it has not happened nor has a new ship date been announced. However, the company plans to start contacting the first recipients in the coming weeks. Presuming everything goes according to plan Telly's chief strategy officer Dallas Lawrence said. "Beta Users are leaving the bottom screen on and we anticipate this will only increase as the second screen becomes the unifying smart hub in the household, connecting all of your smart devices from music to news to voice assistants and more." Telly announced that new DIRECTV STREAM customers will receive priority when it comes to being selected to receive one of the company's free smart TVs. No Blocking Second Screen - If a Telly user does block the secondary screen, which displays advertisements as well as news and sports headlines, weather reports, and other information, they'd be violating the Telly service agreement and could potentially face a stiff fine. Telly owners must use the dual-screen TV as the "primary TV in the household in the living room Best 75-Inch TVs for 2023: LG, TCL, Samsung and More Tested and Reviewed There's a lot to consider when it comes to buying a new TV, including the display type, resolution, operating system and more. But the most important factor is the size. And here at CNET, our general advice is that bigger is usually better, especially if you're looking to get the most bang for your buck. To help you find the right big-screen TV for your needs and your budget, we've rounded up some of the best 75-inch TVs on the market right now. Full article here… TCL 75R655 Best 75-inch TV for the money $1275 at Amazon For the last five years the TCL 6-Series has been our favorite TV for the money, and the newest version -- also known as the R655 series -- is no exception. This TV has an excellent image thanks to mini-LED tech and well-implemented full-array local dimming that helps it run circles around just about any other TV at this price. It improves upon the previous R635 series with improved gaming extras and a new center-mount stand that you can elevate to make room for a soundbar. And finally, the Roku TV operating system is our hands-down favorite LG OLED77C2P Best high-end 77-inch for the money $2746 at Amazon The C2 represents the pinnacle of picture quality at a price that's admittedly high, but not too crazy. It beats any non-OLED TV on this list, including the Samsung QN90B below, with its perfect black levels, unbeatable contrast and superb off-angle viewing. It also has superb gaming features, making it the perfect companion to an Xbox Series X or S, PlayStation 5 or both. The C2 comes in a variety of sizes as well, although the bigger models are expensive. Vizio M75QXM-K03 Best 75-inch picture for tighter budgets $998 at Amazon The Vizio MQX is one of the least expensive TVs to feature full-array local dimming, which lets it reproduce TV shows, movies and games with enough contrast and pop to do HDR justice. The MQX has fewer dimming zones than more expensive TVs like the TCL 6-Series -- 42 on the 75-inch size -- but that's more than enough for excellent overall picture quality, with bright highlights, dark black levels, punchy contrast and accurate color.

This week we look at Amazon's new home Internet service as well as a sneak peak at the best early Prime Day smart home products. We also read your emails and take a look at the week's news. News: It's official — LCD TVs won't see any further development YouTube TV Has Decided Some Sports Networks Are Not Worth It Comcast-Charter JV's Xumo-Branded Smart TVs Ready To Hit The Shelves Of Walmart…And Other Retailers Roku's next play: Smart homes Other: ATX Festival - TV Camp for Grownups Amazon.com: Febfoxs Projector with WiFi and Bluetooth HBO In Talks To License Originals To Netflix? - Dark Horizons Most HBO Max subscribers have switched to Max, despite launch issues and price rises | TechRadar ALR Projector Screens WILL Replace Your TV | Side By Side Comparison Everything We Know About Amazon's New Home Internet Service, Including Price & Launch Date The deadline for Amazon to have an operational home internet service is coming up fast. Well, it may be a few years away there is a lot to do to meet the FCC deadline or risk losing the spectrum it needs. This new home internet service from Amazon is currently code-named Project Kuiper. According to Amazon's CEO, it is now one of the main focuses of the company. Full Article here… From Smart Speakers to Smart Plugs, These Are the Best Early Prime Day Smart Home Deals So Far Amazon devices, Philips Hue lights, Kasa plugs, and even iRobot Roomba vacuums are on sale ahead of Prime Day 2023. Full article here…

No show this week as we take some time away with our families. We'll be back next week!

This week we take a look at six new features that Apple Music is getting and we give you our take on the BestJoy Super Remote. Unfortunately we're still looking for a Harmony Replacement. Did you know Cable TV is 75 years old this month? We look back at where cable started and where it is now. We also read your emails and take a look at the week's news. News: United is putting 4K displays and Bluetooth on its planes You can finally buy a Matter smart lock Netflix Password Crackdown Drives U.S. Sign-Ups to Highest Levels in at Least Four Years: Researcher Netflix Reportedly Wants to Get Into Live Sports Streaming Your Android TV Could Be Getting A Big Upgrade – Here's What's Coming Other: AVScience.com Does VR Motion Sickness Go Away? 10 Tips On How To Stop VR Motion Sickness - World Of Geek Stuff Spectrum's Cable TV Hidden Fees Are Up Again & Can Now Cost More Than The Advertised TV Package Price | Cord Cutters News WHY IS EVERYONE WATCHING TV WITH THE SUBTITLES ON? (Paywall) Apple Music is getting 6 new features Apple Music subscribers are set to see several new free features when they update to iOS 17 later this year. Full Article Here… Collaborative Playlists Take over your car's radio with SharePlay Apple Music Sing gets a camera Go backstage with Song Credits Access all Apple Music radio shows Apple Music's new look and other small updates The Bestjoy Super Remote The Bestjoy Super Remote SR001 ($160) is a super remote control that combines audio and video control and can control a series of home devices such as air conditioners, lights and curtains, providing a simpler configuration process and a more powerful functional experience. I had the following issues: There were no Volume Up or down buttons for my Yamaha receiver. I did have the remote learn their commands and they worked fine. I found selecting activities to be a bit confusing likewise I felt switching between devices was cumbersome. For the price that this remote costs I would expect that an activity with a TV, streamer, and receiver would automatically select the appropriate buttons on the remote. Programming the remote is too cumbersome and non-intuitive Cable Turns 75 this Month The beginning of cable TV goes back to June of 1948 when John Walson set up an antenna on top of a mountain near the city of Mahanoy City, PA. From there he strung a cable down the mountain to a point in the city that allowed TV signals to be received by homes that connected to it. That essentially was the first cable service in the United States. Believe it or not, that "cable" company is still running today. 1948 - FCC freezes new broadcasting licenses and cable grows considerably. 1962 - FCC prevents cable companies from importing signals from far away, halting the industry in its tracks. 1972 - HBO is launched as the nation's first pay-TV network. Cable is back in business! 1976 - WTBS is launched. broadcasting from Atlanta and using satellites to become the nation's first superstation. The Atlanta Braves gain fans from all over the country. 1984 - Congress passes the Cable Communications Policy Act, loosing restrictions and appropriating funds for continued growth. Cable grew so rapidly that by 1990, there were more than 50 million subscribers across the country and at least 79 networks, an increase from just 28 at the beginning of the decade. Some of the networks that launched during this time included: Showtime Nickelodeon, USA Network, ESPN, CNN, MTV, The Disney Channel, AMC, FX 1990 - Cable subscribers reach 50 million and there are at least 79 networks available to consumers. 1992 - Congress passes the Cable Television Consumer Protection Act that freezes prices and requires cable companies to carry local channels for free. 2000 - 2007 - The average cable subscriber has access to more than 50 channels. To fuel growth, things such as high-definition broadcasting, DVR service, on-demand programming, premium channels, interactive guides, and much more became new features and eventually standards. Cable companies begin to add high-speed internet which may have hastened the cable company's demise as a TV provider. It also may be what saves them as a viable company. 2007 - Netflix launches its streaming platform, setting the stage for the current upheaval and uncertainty in the industry.

This week we look at 9 tips that will get the most out of your LG C3 and G3 OLED TVs. These tips can find equivalents on pretty much any UHD TV. And Apple introduced its challenger into the VR goggle arena with the Apple Vision Pro. Will it succeed? We also read your emails and take a look at the week's news. News: AMC and Vudu score big with new on-demand streaming partnership YouTube TV is Cracking Down on Password Sharing Ahead of NFL Sunday Ticket Launch Apple's Vision Pro headset will include Disney+ content The Average Cable TV Subscriber Now Pays $1,764 a Year Just For TV Other: Netflix has hidden test screens to calibrate your TV — here's how to find them HT Guys Music Playlist on Apple Music HT Guys Music Playlist on Amazon Music HT Guys Music Playlist on Spotify Ara's Woodworking 9 Essential (But Simple) Tips To Get The Best Out Of Your LG OLED TV Easy picture setting changes for the new LG C3 and G3 and by extension all UHD TVs. Full article… Apple Vision Pro Watch the Video So what is the Apple Vision Pro? Quoting Apple's video its "a revolutionary spatial computer that seamlessly blends digital content with the physical world." Apple has developed a new operating system that features a three dimensional interface. So this is much more than a VR gaming headset, although you can game with it. I have to say, it's got me intrigued enough to consider spending the $3,499 as a late Christmas gift to myself. It will be available in Apple retail stores in the U.S. only in early 2024. From Apple: A singular piece of three-dimensionally formed and laminated glass is polished to create an optical surface that acts as a lens for the wide array of cameras and sensors needed to blend the physical world with digital content. The glass flows into the custom aluminum alloy frame that gently curves around the user's face, while the modular system allows for a tailored fit to accommodate a wide range of people. The Light Seal is made of a soft textile, and comes in a range of shapes and sizes, flexing to conform to a user's face for a precise fit. Flexible straps ensure audio remains close to the user's ears, while a Head Band — available in multiple sizes — is three-dimensionally knitted as a single piece to provide cushioning, breathability, and stretch. The band is secured with a simple mechanism, making it easy to change to another size or style of band. You control the Vision Pro with your eyes, hands, and voice. You can browse through apps by simply looking at them, tapping your fingers to select, flicking your wrist to scroll, or using voice to dictate. It also supports Apple's Magic Keyboard and Magic Trackpad. It has an ultra-high-resolution display system with 23 million pixels across two micro-OLED displays – more than a 4K for TV for each eye. Vision Pro uses high-speed cameras and a ring of LEDs that project invisible light patterns onto the user's eyes to track gaze. The headset also contains the M2 chip paired with a new "R1" chip, dedicated toward real-time sensor processing. It also has a new Spatial Audio system with two individually amplified drivers inside each audio pod, which delivers Personalized Spatial Audio based on the user's own head and ear geometry. It can match the sound to an environment using audio ray-tracing. The headset is capable of running for two hours on a single charge.

This week we help you find ways around the Netflix password sharing crackdown and we look at the best OLED TVs according to Tom's Guide and we help you decide if an upgrade to wifi 6E is in order. We also read your emails and look at the week's news stories. News: GE Lighting's Neon-Shape Smart Lights Now Available Sony's Latest Dolby Atmos Soundbar Could Be A Serious Sonos Beam Gen 2 Competitor YouTube TV grants users unlimited simultaneous NFL Sunday Ticket streams Comcast's New $20 a Month Streaming Service With 40 Live Channels, Peacock Premium & More Is Now Available Other: Streaming services are removing tons of movies and shows — it's not personal, it's strictly business BestJoy SuperRemote Review - A Home Assistant Friendly Remote! Three crafty ways YOU can get around Netflix's crackdown on password sharing Netflix finally cracked down on password sharing this week, sending 'freeloaders' hysterical — but savvy users have already come up with an easy workaround. Full article … Just don't log on to Netflix via your smart TV or streaming box - Netflix defines what they think of as your household by the preferences you manage on the main TV you use, whether it's a smart TV, like Roku, or a streaming box, like AppleTV or Amazon Fire Stick. Set-up auto-forwarding for the email verification codes - Netflix set up a roadblock and sends the account's primary owner a verification code every time they or someone else tries to log on from a new wireless network. There are many easy ways to have all those verification number emails, from [email protected], auto-forwarded to your distant, beloved household members and friends Log-in on the account holder's Wi-Fi - Because Netflix uses the IP address and wireless of the primary account holder as part of its definition of the household, you should be in great shape if you can log into Netflix, at least once in while, from the Wi-Fi connection at the account owner's home. Best OLED TVs in 2023: LG, Samsung, Sony and more The best OLED TVs are coveted for their excellent picture reproduction, phenomenal motion processing and top-of-the-line upscaling. With unbeatable black levels and perfect contrast, they offer a cinema-like experience for not that much more money than a traditional LED-LCD or QLED TV. Full article here… Wifi 6E Do you Need it? Wifi is a big part of our home theaters. Not everyone has a wired connection at every entertainment area or speaker location. So wifi picks up the slack. As we have seen first hand, too many devices result in some wonky wifi. And with so many devices requiring a network connection we need some way to get all our devices connected. Is Wifi 6E the solution? So what is Wifi 6E? Well for this we have to go back to April of 2020 when the FCC opened up the 6GHz frequencies for unlicensed use. That opened up 21 new channels for compatible devices to use! If you are using a Wifi 6 device you are still fighting over the 2.4 and 5 GHz frequencies although it makes better use of them. What are the benefits? Speed > 1Gbps Latency Only devices that support Wifi 6E are here. 2.4 and 5 GHz frequencies are used on all other wifi protocols WPA 3 is mandatory for all Wi-Fi 6(E) Certified. As a result, 6GHz WiFi traffic is more secure than ever and 6GHz networks are harder to hack. Wifi Sleeping allows devices to go to sleep and free up the spectrum for other devices. This also increases battery life What devices are supported? (Partial List) Google Pixel 6 and 6 Pro Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra Xiaomi Mi 11 Galaxy Z Fold 3 5G MacBook Pro (14-inch, 2023) or MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2023) Mac mini (2023) iPad Pro 11-inch (4th generation) or iPad Pro 12.9 inch (6th generation) Netgear Orbi Wi-Fi 6E $1100 Netgear Nighthawk RAXE500 $550 Linksys Atlas Max 6E $800 TP-Link Archer AXE75 $180 (no Mesh system available) Do you need it? If you are a gamer and want super low latency and don't have a hard wired setup, yes. If you have an entertainment center and have no way of physically connecting to the network, maybe. You'll only get the benefit if your TV or set top box supports it. You may be better off waiting until more devices support it and prices come down. However, for more basic, household use, a typical mesh system will work just fine.

This week HBO Max is now just Max. Ara gives his impressions of his LG C2 OLED and we look at the shows that were canceled at the end of this season. We also read your emails and go through the week's news. News: Technics introduces two new noise-canceling wireless in-ear earbuds Almost 5 million people are using Netflix's ad tier Telly Says 100,000 People Signed Up for Free TV Sets Savant Adds Amazon Music Integration Other: U2 Tour Sphere in Las Vegas | Apple Music Netflix's password-sharing crackdown is here — and it costs $7.99 per month - The Verge HBO Max is now Max If you're a current subscriber, your account should switch over automatically. If you're not a subscriber and you want to take a look at all the changes, can you can get a 7 day trial 4K ATMOS Dolby Vision - Checked out Shazam. Looked quite impressive but a few fast pans stuttered. Otherwise it looked and sounded quite good I ended up canceling my Discovery+ subscription since the same content is available with your Max subscription You can download titles for offline viewing. This was not possible with Discovery+ although it looks like this has been added to the Discovery app. I haven't checked for this feature in a while so it may have been possible for a while now Max subscription plans Ad-Lite Ad-Free Ultimate Monthly price $10 $16 $20 Number of screens you can watch at the same time 2 2 4 Number of offline downloads 0 30 100 HD available Yes Yes Yes 4K Ultra HD available No No Yes LG C2 OLED 42" $900 up to 83" for $3950 α9 Gen 5 AI Processor 4K adapts to the content you're watching, automatically adjusting the TV's settings for improved picture and sound quality Dolby Vision, HDR10, HLG webOS Google Assistant / Alexa We have come a long way in TV design and technology. The TV that the C2 replaced was a very old Samsung 720p LCD. The screen size was 37" and the TV barely fit into an armoir in our bedroom. The new LG C2 OLED is 42 inches and fits in the same area with no issues. The larger screen made a huge difference. The picture is stunning, clear, and sharp. I used the image presets as this TV is primarily used for night time viewing. I settled on ISF night mode. It seems a bit cool for my liking so I will probably tweak it to warm up the image. The color is quite good. LG claims the Evo panel's color saturation to be around 100% of the DCI-P3 color space. Other reviewers have noticed that the color desaturates with off angle viewing. In my very informal tests, this was barely noticeable to my eye. If I hadn't read anything about it I probably wouldn't have even noticed. But keep this in mind if you have seating that is off angle. Regardless, it's a ten fold improvement over the LCD it replaced. I have yet to really play with LG's filmmaker mode but even without it the TV has an incredible picture. The only thing I can compare it against was my old Panasonic plasma but much better. I didn't do anything with the sound beyond the standard as it is typically watched at night so the sound is not usually at a loud level. If you buy a larger version of this TV we would recommend just connecting to a soundbar or better yet, a full fledged audio system. webOS has almost all the apps you'll need including IPTV providers with the exception of DirecTV Stream. If you are only streaming movies and some live TV, there is no need for an external box. But if there are some special news and information apps that your streaming box has it's easy enough to switch between the two. The LG Magic Remote wasn't very magical in my opinion. I mean as a regular remote it worked well. But the pointer version was just not precise enough for my liking. The remote has a microphone that allows you to search for content with your voice. There are dedicated buttons to take you directly to Netflix, Disney Plus, Prime Video, and Rakuten. There are even dedicated buttons for the Google Assistant and Alexa. LG sells higher end models but if you are moving from a LCD based TV you will be really impressed with this TV. Save some money and go with the C2 model! TV Shows that were Canceled after this Season The list of returning shows is quite large so we thought it would be better to just give you a list of the shows that were canceled this season. Our source for this information is TV Guide ABC The Goldbergs: Ending with Season 10 CBS NCIS: Los Angeles: Ending with Season 14 NBC The Blacklist: Ending with Season 10 Kenan: Canceled after two seasons Fox Duncanville: Canceled after three seasons Monarch: Canceled after one season The Resident: Canceled after six seasons The CW DC's Stargirl: Ending with Season 3 Tom Swift: Canceled after one season Disney+ Big Shot: Canceled after two seasons Mighty Ducks: Game Changers: Canceled after two seasons The Mysterious Benedict Society: Renewed for Season 2 National Treasure: Edge of History: Canceled after one season Willow: Canceled after one season Paramount+ Blood & Treasure: Canceled after two seasons Why Women Kill: Canceled

This week we have a big show for you! We announce the winner of our speaker giveaway, talk about the "Telly", a free TV with a second screen for ads. We also take our monthly look at the RTINGS.COM longevity tests and finally we discuss why cable companies may want to forgo hardware and just go IPTV. We also read your email and take a look at the week's news. News: Abode Announces Google Nest Integration B&O launches the world's 2nd 97-inch OLED TV, and it's much cooler than LG's Samsung admits defeat and reportedly inks deal for LG's OLED TV panels TCL Launches 2023 S Class and Q Class TVs Researchers find security flaw in Wemo Smart Plug, Belkin says it won't release a patch Other: Dynaflex (RCA) - Wikipedia Telly Free TV Winner of Reclaimed wood Speakers - Russell Cain Bastrop, Texas The streaming wars are over, and it's time for media to figure out what's next I'm calling it. The Streaming Wars are over. 2019-2023. RIP. The race between the biggest media and entertainment companies to add streaming subscribers, knowing consumers will only pay for a limited number of them, is finished. Sure, the participants are still running. They're just not trying to win anymore. Full article here… Key points: The media and entertainment industry is currently focused on raising prices and cutting costs. Disney lost 4 million Disney+ subscribers in the quarter, most of which came from India. At some point, the industry will need a new growth narrative. The most obvious candidate is gaming. RTINGS.COM Longevity Test Update RTINGS.COM Longevity Test Update How long until Cable and Satellite go 100% IPTV? WOW! Internet, Cable & Phone, a leading broadband services provider, today announced the company has signed an agreement with Google to offer YouTube TV as its dedicated live television offering. Through this partnership, consumers can purchase WOW!'s fastest, most reliable Internet, together with the industry-leading YouTube TV service, all on one convenient WOW! monthly bill. Full Press Release…

This week we ask whether you really need a Bluetooth enabled turntable and are products like the Anker X600 Boombox going to turn off people to "Spatial" audio. Finally, we look into FAST TV services. We also read your emails and the week's news! News: Amazon expands Matter smart home support to older Echo speakers Hulu Plus Live TV Will Soon Offer Local PBS and Magnolia Network A free, ad-supported TV? Don't laugh, someone's working on it Dish Loses 552K Pay TV Subscribers in First Quarter Almost half of YouTube viewership happens on TV screens First NextGen TV-Certified Receivers to Hit the Market by This Summer Other: Monoprice SS-Pro 8 High Power Dual Source 300 Watt 8 Pair Impedance Matching Speaker Selector $120 Monoprice Dual-Source 2-Channel A/B Speaker Selector with Volume Control and Impedance Matching $42 History of Rock Music in 500 Songs Bluetooth Turntable - Yes or No? The Audio Technica AT-LPW50PB (MSRP $449) is a fully manual, belt-drive turntable designed to give you optimal high-fidelity audio reproduction from vinyl. It features an anti-resonance 30 mm thick MDF (medium density fiberboard) plinth, with a high-gloss, piano-black finish, to dampen low-frequency acoustical feedback, and a sensor-monitored motor to ensure accurate platter rotation speeds of 33-1/3 and 45 RPM. Listener Question about the Anker x600 "Boom Box We received the following email from an anonymous listener and felt it warranted further discussion Anker Motion X600 Pluto TV For a while now we have been asking who would watch FAST TV. FAST stands for Free Ad-Supported Streaming Television. And there are a lot of ways to get it. This week Ara decided to download Pluto.TV and check it out for himself. The first thing you notice is that the interface is similar to any of the other IPTV services. Pluto's channels are grouped by category. Food, Sports, Music, Entertainment, and the list goes on. They even have an on demand section that is a mixture of classics like In Harm's Way with John Wayne to more modern fare like 13 hours. They have game shows, home improvement, cooking, sports and the list goes on. There is no shortage of content. There are plenty of news channels but not all localities are covered. For instance, Los Angeles has one local news station. And there are no live sports that we could find. Regardless, you can't beat the price of free! Just today the NHL announced that it is creating a FAST channel to be distributed first to Roku and then other providers. It will contain content from the NHL's past games, playoffs, and all star games. Pluto, like other FAST services, are supported on just about every platform from phones to tablets and set top boxes and many TVs. We can't see any downside because the price is perfect! Free. Download all the services and you will always find something to watch.

This week we look at a new technology that may transform the earbuds you currently own. Also, Sony released pricing on their new 2023 models and would you watch sports with a VR headset? We also read your emails and take a look at the week's news. News: Nakamichi's Sonos-stomping Dragon Dolby Atmos soundbar is available for pre-order YouTube Music officially rolls out podcasts for listeners in the US LG Rolls Out Xbox Series X And PS5-Friendly Update For Its 2022 Soundbars ESPN Plans To Leave Cable TV & Stream Online as a Standalone Just Not Yet… Other: FCC Complaints ATSC 3.0 Boston Mass The future of audio? World's first solid-state speakers may transform earbuds Solid state drives transformed computer storage, offering greater capacity that proved cheaper and more reliable. And much smaller! You might not have heard about it, but solid-state tech also handily changed the market for condenser mics, offering smaller devices that are easier to incorporate with other circuits. They're just better – and cheaper. Full article here… Sony releases its 2023 TV prices If you're in the market for a new TV and you've been patiently waiting to see how much Sony is asking for its 2023 models (and when you can buy them), today's the day you find out. Unless of course, you've been waiting to see what Sony wants for its latest flagship, the A95L 4K QD-OLED. In that case, we're the bearers of bad news: That model, in all three of its planned sizes (55-, 65-, and 77-inches,) is still MIA, and Sony hasn't indicated when that will change. Full article here… Apple's VR Headset Could Immerse You in Sports The Apple VR/AR mixed reality headset is one of those products that's perpetually rumored but never seems to materialize — though it sounds like that's about to change. With Apple's WWDC 2023 looming, we could finally get an official glimpse at this device, rumored to be shipping later this year. Full article here…

This week we have four reasons to buy and three reasons to skip the LG C3 OLED and the top 5 TV picks for all budgets. We also read your emails and the week's news! News: Fox Television Stations, Amazon Partner on Local News Distribution YouTube TV details fixes for audio sync, better 1080p quality Netflix Subscribers Think Its Ad-Supported Plan Has Too Many Commercials Other: HT Guys Custom Reclaimed Wood Speaker Giveaway 4 Reasons To Buy And 3 Reasons To Skip the LG C3 OLED With the LG C3 OLED starting to make its way into the wild, you might now be faced with a tough decision — should you buy LG's new OLED TV or should you skip it? Full article here… Reasons to buy the LG C3 OLED The new Alpha a9 Gen 6 is a better processor WebOS 23 lets you customize your picture without paying for calibration Color and brightness are big improvements on older OLED TVs It's a great TV for gamers Reasons to Skip the LG C3 OLED It has lower brightness than LG G3 OLED You won't find an ATSC 3.0 tuner here It's more expensive than the LG C2 OLED Tom's Guide top 5 TV picks for all Budgets Having covered tech and games full-time for the last decade now, I've spent a lot of time in front of a TV. Some of those TVs weren't anything special — they were just run-of-a-mill LED-LCD TVs that didn't even have VRR or HDR — but these days, I only spend my time in front of the best TVs. Because I'm lucky enough to see all these screens first-hand, I've developed a real fondness for a few of them. Full Article Here…

This week Tom's Guide reviews the Roku Plus Series 4K QLED TVs and Kef introduces their THX certified in-wall speakers. Then we go through the Netflix Timeline from start through the latest announcement that they are ending physical disc rentals. We also read your emails and look at the week's news. News: Warner Bros. Discovery unveils super-streamer 'Max' Sling TV finally launches on the Amazon Echo Show 8 and 10 Has Prime Video Surpassed Netflix In U.S. Subscriber Share? Netflix to bring down the curtain on its DVD-by-mail service Roku Plus Series 4K QLED TV review: An outstanding value The Roku Plus Series 4K QLED TV is one of the least expensive TVs on the market, and it offers few fancy bells and whistles. But with a good smart interface and HDR color and sound capabilities unusual for its class, it's a surprisingly good budget buy. Full article here… Roku Plus Series 4K QLED TV 55-inch (55R6A5R): $499.99 Roku Plus Series 4K QLED TV 65-inch (65R6A5R): $649.99 Roku Plus Series 4K QLED TV 75-inch (75R6A5R): $999.99 Kef THX Certified In-wall Speakers (for the dare to dream crowd) Create the ultimate home cinema experience with the latest additions to KEF's impressive architectural speaker range; the first THX® Certified Dominus speaker from KEF, the Ci5160REFM-THX, as well as the Ci3160REFM-THX which is THX® Certified Ultra for high-impact cinema sound. These in-wall Ci-Reference speakers create a new level of entertainment in which movie lovers are enveloped in life-like sound and transported to a deeper, more thrilling audio experience. Ci5160REFM-THX key features: KEF's first THX® Certified Dominus speaker – the powerful THX performance class for the largest private cinema spaces Metamaterial Absorption Technology eliminates 99% of high-frequency distortion for pure, natural sound Bespoke 12th generation Uni-Q with MAT driver array for exceptional acoustic accuracy Four 160mm (6.5in.) bass drivers optimised for in-wall use 11mm thick precision-machined aluminium baffle designed to eliminate vibration and allows the drivers to perform at their best Discreet design with best-in-class performance Available in Aluminium Black/Grey finish Paintable magnetic metal grille that fits effortlessly into the interior Optional black cloth grille available as separate item Ci3160REFM-THX key features: THX® Certified Ultra for high impact cinema sound Metamaterial Absorption Technology eliminates 99% of high-frequency distortion for pure, natural sound Bespoke 12th generation Uni-Q with MAT driver array for exceptional acoustic accuracy Two 160mm (6.5in.) bass drivers optimised for in-wall use Discreet design with best-in-class performance Available in Aluminium Black/Grey finish Paintable magnetic metal grille that fits effortlessly into the interior Optional black cloth grille available as separate item Price and Availability: Ci5160REFM-THX: [USD10,999.99 each]/ [Available now on http://kef.com] Ci3160REFM-THX: [USD7,999.99 each]/ [Available now on http://kef.com] Timeline of Netflix Wikipedia Timeline of Netflix

This week we look at the best passive bookshelf speakers under $600. We also revisit the RTINGS.com long term burn in investigation and we ask the question, "Is 1080p with HDR all we really need?" Pulse we read your emails and the week's news. News: Google Home app improves support for curtains, heaters, appliances, more Shares in Regal Cinemas' owner hit all-time low YouTube starts presales of NFL Sunday Ticket subscription Google TV Adds Hundreds More FAST Channels From Tubi, Plex and Haystack to Its 'Live' Tab Other: HT Guys Music Playlist on Spotify The best passive bookshelf speakers for most people We tested a bunch of five to six-inch speakers under $600 and picked our favorite. Full article here… Longevity Burn-In Investigative Paths After 3 Months RTINGS.com has been running a long term longevity test and we are more than three months in. The TVs are at 2400 hours of run time. If you watch your TV about 5 hours a day that's equivalent to almost a year and a half in just over three months. So what are they finding? Here are just some highlights. RTINGS.com has a very thorough investigation and explanation found in the article link: Longevity Burn-In Investigative Paths After 3 Months Three partial TV failures and one complete failure. The Samsung S95B OLED completely failed while the Hisense U7G, Sony X95J, and LG G2 OLED were deemed partial failures. Both QD-OLED displays are showing signs of potential permanent image retention Some of the Sony WOLED displays are also showing burn-in ( A8H, A80K, A80J, A90J, and A90K). After running a pixel refresh video they were able to nearly eliminate all image retention on the Sony A8H, A80K, and A90J. The Sony A80J and A90K, however, don't look any better, and it looks like this is a permanent burn-in on these two TVs. There were significant brightness fluctuations on a handful of TVs. While some of this variation can be explained by the margin of error of the test equipment, a few TVs warranted a deeper look to determine what was going on. HDR: Simply Better Pixels Do We Really Need 4K if HDR is So Good? SMPTE Life Fellow Mark Schubin has compared formats, frame rates and HDR to show what provided the best data option. Full article here… I asked Matthew Goldman, senior director, Media Engineering & Architecture for Sinclair Broadcast Group. and Tim Walker, senior product manager at AJA Video Systems the same visual quality question: With all things being equal, on a scale from 1 to 10, if 1080p SDR is a 1 and 4K HDR is a 10, where would you place 1080p HDR and 4K SDR? Both answered exactly the same: 1080p HDR sits at 8, while 4K SDR sits at 4

This week Pioneer introduces a new flagship receiver, the LX805, and we discuss whether Spatial Audio makes sense for cars and if Mini LEDs are on their way out. We also read your emails and take a look at the week's news. News: NFL Partners with RedBird Capital to Deliver NFL Sunday Ticket to Commercial Establishments Netflix's cheapest option is now on Apple TV Eve announces Matter firmware upgrades are coming on April 17 for a more reliable HomeKit experience Smart TVs Account for 50% of All Streaming Video Viewing Other: HT Guys Listen to their Vinyl Collection Pioneer Elite Introduces New AVR For Elevating Audio Experiences Pioneer Elite® is pleased to introduce a flagship audio video receiver (AVR) to its line up of advanced electronics that provides exceptional audio performance and studio-level processing for the discerning AV enthusiast. Packed with the most advanced immersive audio technologies, the all-new Elite VSX-LX805 11.4, 150 watt-per-channel network receiver has been meticulously engineered for enhanced immersive audio experiences. Full Press Release… Spatial Audio makes more sense in a car than a living room, says Cambridge Audio Spatial Audio makes more sense in a car than a home speaker, at the moment, says Cambridge Audio CEO, Stuart George. George told What Hi-Fi? during an interview for our British Hi-Fi Week 2023 that, while the company is very interested in Spatial Audio, Cambridge Audio is only considering it for use in cars. Full article here… Mini-LED TVs are hot right now — but a new report has bad news OLED TVs like the LG C3 OLED and LG G3 OLED still have a long life ahead of them, but Mini-LED TVs like the Sony Bravia X95K and Samsung QN95B QLED… well, their time at the top of our best TV page could be coming to an end. Full article here…

This week we have an interview with Jeff Baron, former DJ at KPFK Los Angeles around 1968, then KPPC-FM Pasadena in the early 70s and finally KMPX San Francisco also early 70s. We also read your emails and read the week's news. News: Blockbuster website reactivates Samsung Expands OLED 4K Lineup With Two New Series Nearly 7 in 10 U.S. TV Content Viewers Use Free Streaming Services Monthly Amazon reportedly considering purchase of AMC Entertainment Apple TV 4K gets promised Quick Media Switching feature to eliminate 'HDMI bonk' Other: Q Live QL 100 Karaoke Digital Echo Stereo Mixing Amplifier Master Channel | eBay Our memory for sounds is significantly worse than our memory for visual or tactile things -- ScienceDaily Jeff started at KPFK Los Angeles around 1968, then KPPC-FM Pasadena in the early 70s and finally KMPX San Francisco also early 70s